Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Meatballs

• ½ lb. ground beef, 80% lean
• ½ lb. ground pork
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs,
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Soup

• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 ¼ cups carrots, diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 cups chicken broth,
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• ¾ cup acini de pepe pasta, uncooked
• 4-5 cups fresh spinach
• salt/pepper, to taste

Garnish

Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Instructions

1. Gently combine the meatball ingredients, don’t overwork the meat. Roll into 3/4-inch balls.
2. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.
3. Brown the meatballs in batches for about 2 minutes. The middle of the meatballs will finish cooking in the soup. Remove and set aside.
4. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and soften over medium heat for 6 minutes, until softened. Add a splash of olive oil during cooking if needed.
5. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for 1 minute.
6. Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
7. Add the cooked meatballs and simmer gently while you boil the pasta separately until al dente. Drain once cooked through and add the pasta to serving bowls. (Otherwise the pasta tends to absorb the broth during storage. If you don’t anticipate leftovers, you can cook the pasta in the soup or add the cooked pasta to the pot of soup.)
8. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes.
9. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve!

Comments

• Flavor Enhancers: 1 tsp of Hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard powder can be used as flavor enhancers in this recipe and they can’t be tasted outright. I use Frank’s Hot Sauce and it doesn’t make this spicy. They can be added when the Italian seasoning is added.
• Be sure to roll the meatballs nice and small for this soup.
• Spinach: 10 oz. frozen spinach may be used instead of fresh. Let it thaw and pat it dry.
• Acini Di Pepe, Ditalini, and Orzo are all small pasta varieties that work well in this soup.

Crock Pot Method

1. Assemble and brown the meatballs as outlined in recipe card above.
2. Transfer to the Crock Pot along with the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, Italian seasoning and chicken broth.
3. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
4. If possible, boil the pasta separately and add it directly to serving bowls. This ensures it doesn’t absorb all of the broth if you have leftovers. Alternatively, you can add the pasta to the crock pot of soup and cook on low for 30 minutes. 
5. Stir in the Spinach and heat through until wilted, about 3 minutes.
6. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and serve!

Instant Pot Method

1. Gently combine the meatball ingredients and roll the meat into 1-inch balls.
2. Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and add the olive oil.
3.  Brown the meatballs in batches for about 3 minutes, until all sides are brown.
4. Remove the meatballs and add the onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, mustard powder, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce & sauté for 1 minute.
5. Add the chicken broth. Run a silicone spatula along the bottom of the pot to release the brown bits, this helps mitigate the burn indicator that we tend to see with Instant Pots.
6. Add the meatballs.
7. Close the lid and seal the valve. Pressure Cook for 5 minutes.
8. Flip the quick release valve and allow the steam to escape.
9. If possible, boil the pasta separately and add it directly to serving bowls. This ensures it doesn’t absorb all of the broth if you have leftovers. Alternatively, you can add the pasta to the pot of soup, press the sauté button, and cook for 9 minutes.
10. Stir in the spinach, garnish with fresh Parmesan and serve!