Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

Meatballs:
½ lb ground beef 85%
½ lb ground pork
½ cup Italian bread crumbs
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
½ yellow onion finely chopped/minced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 egg, beaten
½ cup fresh chopped parsley, (can substitute with basil or combo of both)
¾ tsp sea salt or kosher salt

Soup:
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
2 carrots chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
¾ cup acini pepe, (can substitute with ditalini, orzo or pastina)
2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt/pepper to taste

Instructions

1 – add meat to a large mixing bowl. Add onions, garlic, egg, parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, salt to a large bowl. Using your hands, gently mix until evenly combined, being careful not to overmix as that can make the meat tough.  
2 – Form into small meatballs, approximately ¾ inch.  
3 – Add Tbsp oil to Dutch oven or frying pan and warm until shimmering. Add meatballs in batches and brown on all sides about 3-4 minutes. Remove meatballs to a paper towel lined plate. Note that they may not be cooked thoroughly at this point. They will finish while simmering in the broth later.
4 – Once meatballs are browned and put aside, using the same pan they were cooked in, add carrots, celery and onions. Saute until softened, about 5-6 minutes. Add garlic and saute for one minute more. You want to use the same pan that the meat was browned in to get those brown pieces of fond. Fond is the caramelized bits left in the pan after you’ve browned meat or vegetables and adds great flavor.
5 – Add chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste.
6 – Add acini pepe and meatballs and bring to a boil. Then lower to simmer until pasta is tender, about ten minutes, adding the chopped spinach during the last minute. 
7 – Garnish with parmesan cheese.