ina's italian wedding soup

chase away the "winter" blues with some hot soup

it is cold and stark outside....grey....the winter that wasn't still isn't spring.  i feel the need to make something warm and comforting....soup!  not just your basic soup but ina garten's italian wedding soup.  i did not grow up with this...not by a long shot....no real italians in the family....tilly did produce some yummy soups but nothing with meatballs...what could  possibly be yummier for dinner than meatballs made with sausage, tiny little pasta with veggies in steaming chicken broth?  enough said ...try this....this one is online at the link above and also in  my favorite ina cookbook back to basics.
recipe after the jump

this is my version of the recipe

for the meatballs:
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 pound italian sweet sausage (casings removed)
2/3 cups fresh white bread crumbs
2 cloves minced garlic
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/8 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
1/8 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese plus more for serving
3 tablespoons milk
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

for the soup
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 cup minced yellow onion
1 cup 1/4 inch diced celery (2 stalks)
1 cup 1/4 inch diced carrots (3 carrots)
2 quarts of good store bought chicken stock
1 cup mezzi tubetti (de cecco pasta)
12 ounces fresh baby spinach washed and trimmed

preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cover sheet pan with parchment paper
for the meatballs mix in a big bowl ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, pecorino, parmesan, milk, egg,  1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and combine gently.  drop by teaspoonful onto the parchment lined sheet pan.  bake for 30 minutes.

meatballs in the oven

meatballs out of the oven

while the meat balls are in the oven grab a big heavy bottom pot (le creuset dutch oven) heat it on stove over medium low heat with the olive oil. add the onion, carrots, celery and sauté until softened, 5-6 minutes.  stir as needed. ...you don't really want any browning here.  add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.....ok now add the pasta and cook for 6-8 minutes...add the meatballs and simmer for a couple of minutes...add the spinach until just wilted and serve it up ....with grated parm...ooh so good.   great for reheats the next day for lunch and added to doggie kibble to make feast for a certain lab.

is it ready yet?