Description
Hearty, comforting, and super flavorful meatball and pasta soup packed with nutritious veggies done in under an hour!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Meatballs
- 1/2 lb lean ground beef
- 1/2 ground pork
- 1/2 cup panko
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, roughly minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Soup
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 1 cup carrots, peeled, quartered, and diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 9 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cup ancini de pepe or orzo pasta
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh basil and parsley, roughly chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Make the meatballs: In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs, until thoroughly mixed. Form meatballs into spoon size balls, about 1 inch in diameter.
- In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the meatballs and sear until the browned (not cooked through), about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You may need to work in batches to make sure you don't overcrowd the pan! Remove meatballs to a plate and set aside.
- Deglaze the pot by pouring in 2 tablespoons of the wine, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom.
- Heat remaining olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and onion starts to become translucent.
- Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, or until fragrant, stirring frequently.
- Pour remaining white wine into the pot, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom.
- Add meatballs back to the pot. Stir in the spinach, pasta, and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until pasta is tender and meatballs are cooked through.
- Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with basil and parsley. Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
