Oh my God this soup is good. The soup itself is very easy to make but by far the worst part of this recipe is making the meatballs. Honestly, I hate rolling out a bunch of little meatballs. Once the meatballs are done, making the soup is a walk in the park. We make it easier by making a double batch of meatballs. We cook them, seal half of them them with a vacuum sealer, and freeze them for later. The meatballs are great to use in other recipes too. The recipe below makes a single batch of meatballs and a single pot of soup.
| Meatballs | |
| 1 | egg |
| 3 tbl | fresh chives, finely chopped (green onions work if you can't find chives) |
| 2 tsp | ground sage |
| 4 cloves | garlic, inced |
| ½ lb | lean ground beef |
| ½ lb | sweet Italian sausage, casings removed |
| ½ cup | Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated, NOT that pre-grated sawdust in a can stuff in the dairy section of your local grocery store |
| ½ cup | Italian seasoned bread crumbs |
| ¼ tsp | salt |
| Soup | |
| 2 tbl | olive oil |
| 1 | medium onion, diced |
| 3 | large carrots, diced |
| 2 stalks | celery, diced |
| 6 cups | chicken broth |
| 2 cups | beef broth |
| 2 cups | water |
| ½ cup | white wine |
| 2 | bay leaves |
| ½ tsp | salt |
| ¼ tsp | freshly ground black pepper |
| 2 cups | uncooked
small pasta (ditalini is traditional, but any very small
pasta works) |
| 4 to 5 oz (by weight) | fresh spinach, stems removed and roughly chopped |
| Parmesan Cheese for garnish, freshly grated, NOT that pre-grated sawdust in a can stuff in the dairy section of your local grocery store | |
First make the meatballs. Preheat your oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, beat the egg with the chives or green onions, sage, and garlic. Add the ground beef, sausage, Parmesan, and bread crumbs and mix well. Roll the mixture into tablespoon sized meatballs, about 1-inch in diameter, and place on the baking sheet you prepared earlier. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through. Set these aside on a paper towel lined plate.
Now make the soup. Put a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions, carrots, and celery, and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened and the onions are clear. This should take 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the chicken broth, beef broth, water, wine, bay leaves, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, uncovered, at a simmer until the pasta is 2 minutes short of al dente (usuallly about 8 minutes). Add the spinach and meatballs and simmer for 2 more minutes or until the spinach is wilted and the meatballs are hot.
Ladle into bowls and serve with a little grated Parmesan sprinkled over the top.