Steph’s Italian Wedding Soup – A great wintertime soup!
Steph’s Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
1 egg
1 tbsp dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tbsp & 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/8 tsp & 1/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
1/2 pound extra-lean ground beef
1/4 cup uncooked orzo
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 – 14-1/2 oz cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 – 16 oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups chopped fresh spinach
Directions
~Preheat oven at 350°.
~In a large bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, parsley, 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese, onion powder, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 3/4″ meatballs.
~Place in a 15x10x1″ baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.
~Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
~In a large saucepan, saute onion and celery in oil until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, beans, and spinach. Stir in pasta, meatballs, and remaining salt and pepper.
~Cook until spinach is tender and meatballs are heated through. Garnish with remaining Parmesan cheese.
~Makes 7 servings.