Italian Wedding Soup with Cheese Tortellini and Meatballs

Serves 8

• 24, 1/2-ounce Italian meatballs (your own or frozen)
• 1 pound of carrots, diced (fresh or frozen)
• 1 large (20 ounce) package of fresh cheese tortellini
• 1 medium onion, chopped (fresh or frozen)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 6 cups fresh baby spinach leaves (1 package), stems removed
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and tender. Add the broth, water, and carrots to the pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for 5 minutes. Taste the broth and add salt and pepper to taste. One tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper work for me.

Add the meatballs to the pot and cook for 18 minutes. Add the tortellini, parsley and basil. Cook gently for 8 minutes, until the tortellini is tender. Stir in the spinach and remove the pot from the heat. Cover the pot and let stand until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes.

Serve immediately, topped with grated Parmesan cheese.

To make your own chicken meatballs:

Early in the day:

• 1 pound of ground chicken breast
• a generous handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Combine gently with a fork. Form into small balls about 1/2 inch in size. I used a small scoop to help form the balls, targeting a total of 40 meatballs. Place the meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.