Italian Wedding Soup

It's not quite fall yet but that doesn't mean we all can't start thinking about soup!!!  I pulled out some of my favorite cookbooks this weekend to get some inspiration and BAM I found this recipe that I used to make all the time! It's Ina Garten's  (Barefoot Contessa) Italian Wedding soup except I made some small changes. :)

I was so happy to be reminded of this recipe!  It's a great variation on chicken soup and it's a great one for the whole family!

Italian Wedding Soup

Meatballs:

• 1 lb of ground chicken or turkey*
• 2 turkey or chicken mild Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1/4 plain Italian breadcrumbs 
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup of Romano and parmesan cheese
• 3 tbsp of milk (low fat or fat free)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 and line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Mix all the above ingredients together with fork and form meatballs (1") . . . I like to use melon scooper  . . . place on cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, until lightly brown and set aside.

* It's easier to find ground turkey than chicken - either tastes great!

Soup:

• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 2 stalks diced celery
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 10 cups of low sodium chicken broth
• 1 package fresh spinach
• 1-2 cups mini pasta (whole grain or regular)*

Sauté carrots, onions and celery in 1 tbsp of olive oil until vegetable are soft (about 5-6 minutes).  Add wine and broth and bring to a boil.  Add pasta and simmer until pasta is cooked.  Add meatballs and simmer for 1 minute.  Stir in spinach and simmer for 1 minute.  Sprinkle little fresh parmesan on top of serving.
Serving size 1 3/4 cups
* I tend to go with 2 cups of pasta because I have boys who love their pasta! :)

21 Day Fix = 1 YELLOW, 1 RED, 1 GREEN, 1/2 BLUE