Italian Wedding Soup

This is a very tasty soup which features pasta, fresh spinach, and tiny meatballs.

Italian Wedding Soup

meatballs:
3/4 lb ground chuck
1/2 lb ground sausage
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups dry breadcrumbs
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
olive oil

soup:
2- 15 oz cans chicken broth
2 cans water
8 oz rotini pasta (I used whole wheat)
2-3 cups fresh spinach leaves, stems removed and torn into pieces
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
fresh or canned mushrooms
1 can drained garbanzo beans (optional- I actually won't add these next time)
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped and drained
fresh Parmesan cheese for garnish

In a large bowl, combine ground chuck, sausage, eggs, bread crumbs, oregano, and rosemary. Shape mixture into bite-sized meatballs. (I ended up with 110). Brown the meatballs in olive oil in a skillet. Drain on paper towels. In a large saucepan, combine broth and water and bring to a boil. Add pasta, meatballs, mushrooms, and spinach. Simmer until pasta is tender. You may need to add more water. Add artichoke hearts. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Yield: About 8 servings

Form bite-sized meatballs:

Brown in olive oil. They will finish cooking while they simmer in the soup.

Cook the soup until the pasta is tender:

Serve by candlelight: