What you are creating:

A super delicious Italian soup featuring leafy greens, orzo and tasty little meatballs.

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Ingredients:​

Meatballs

• 8 ounces lean ground beef

• 8 ounces ground pork

• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

• 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano or ½ teaspoon ground oregano

• 1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

• 1 large egg, beaten

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Soup Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 1/4 cups diced carrots

• 1 1/4 cups finely diced sweet yellow onion

• 3/4 cup diced celery

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 6 garlic cloves

• 5 15 ounce cans chicken broth

• 1 cup dry orzo pasta

• 8 ounces chopped fresh spinach

• Finely shredded Parmesan cheese

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Directions

Meatballs

1. Combine beef and pork in a large mixing bowl.

2. Mix in bread crumbs, parsley, oregano, Parmesan, egg, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

3. Gently toss and break up mixture with hands to evenly coat and distribute.

4. Shape mixture into very small meatballs, about 3/4 inch to 1 inch and transfer to a large plate.

5. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.

6. Add half of the meatballs and cook until browned, turning occasionally to brown on all sides for about 4 minutes.

7. Transfer meatballs to a plate and repeat process with remaining meatballs. You won't be cooking the meatballs all the way through in this step. The meatballs will continue to cook after they are added to the soup.

Soup

• Prepare the orzo pasta according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and drain well. Set aside.

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.

• Add carrots, onions and celery and sauté until veggies have softened about 6 - 8 minutes, add garlic and sauté 1 minute longer.

• Pour in chicken broth, season soup with salt and pepper to taste and bring mixture to a boil.

• Add in pasta and meatballs, reduce heat to light boil (about medium or medium-low).

• Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until meatballs have cooked through.

• Add the cooked orzo pasta.

• Add in the spinach during the last minute of cooking.

• Serve warm, sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese.

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Makes approximately 6-10 servings.

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Variations:

Substitute ground turkey or chicken for the pork and beef.