Italian Wedding Soup

One of my all time favorite soups is the Italian wedding soup. I've tried at nearly every restaurant that sells it and have only found it in one place that is perfect! I asked everyone and anyone that was Italian, married, could cook, loved soup...anyone and nobody had a good recipe!!! Finally I found this one online and you can't beat it! Just like mama made it!
(Source: Brown Eyed Baker)

Meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, grated
4 T. grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. salt
2 T. bread crumbs
1 tsp. dried basil
1.5 tsp. dried parsley
2 egg whites

Combine all ingredients and shape into small (1/2″) meatballs. I refrigerated mine for a few hours and it helped to set the shape so they didn’t fall apart in the soup.

Shredded chicken:
Place 1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breasts into a stockpot and cover well with water. Bring to a boil and boil until completely cooked. Shred chicken and set aside. Empty water from stockpot.

Soup:
2 T. butter
1 small onion, diced
1/2 c. sliced carrots (approximately 2 carrots)
1/2 c. sliced celery (approximately 2 stalks)
1 clove minced garlic
12 c. chicken broth
Salt & pepper to taste
3/4 c. acini di pepi or other small pasta (I used orzo because we had it in the house)
8 oz. fresh spinach

Melt butter in stockpot. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic, and cook until veggies are tender, but not too soft.

Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Turn heat down, cover and simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Drop in meatballs and cook about 7 minutes. Add pasta and cook for an additional 6 minutes. Add spinach and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add in shredded chicken. Cover again and allow to simmer for another 30 minutes or so. You can eat as soon as the chicken is re-heated, but allowing it to simmer for a little longer allows all the new flavors to meld together.

Grate Parmesan or Romano cheese on top.