Mom's Italian Wedding Soup

When my sister was engaged she had mentioned that she wanted Italian Wedding soup for her bridal shower, and being that it was in February, I thought it would be a great (and cute) entree. Well, I couldn't have just any Italian Wedding soup for my one and only sister's bridal shower! So... my mom slaved away trying to put together the perfect combination of ingredients. She tried recipe after recipe, tested meatball after meatball until she finally came up with a combination of who knows how many separate recipes to create something AH-MAZING. It was a huge hit at the shower, and my sister is constantly asking her to recreate it. It is quite a bit of work, and a lot of ingredients, but once you are done you will see that it was well worth it. Again, I don't have a picture of my mom's Italian Wedding soup...I really need to start taking pictures when we cook!

Ingredients

Meatballs:
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound ground beef (ground turkey can also be used)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
*These are all approximate measurements; play around with them yourself to find your preferred taste!

Mix everything together and roll into balls about 1/2 inch big. Cook in the olive oil until browned on all sides.

Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 cloves minced garlic
3-4 strips bacon, diced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Marsala wine
2 quarts of chicken stock
1/2 cup Orzo pasta
1/2 cup Acini Di Pepe pasta
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 leaves of chopped fresh basil
3 cups fresh spinach
*This recipe makes about 10 servings

Saute onions, carrots, celery and garlic in a large pot. After about 5 minutes, add the bacon and balsamic vinegar.

Add the wine and let it cook down a little bit. When it is almost all evaporated, add the chicken stock, pastas, meatballs and oregano. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the pastas are cooked.

Add the basil and spinach and cook for about another minute. Enjoy!