Italian Wedding soup

Workout- Swim (2000) Today's swim was much better than last week. Yay!
I have a weight training class tonight.  After today's battle with the terrible two's, I will be skipping out the door.

Two year old's are just weird and opinionated.  I dare you to take one of those spoons. 
He is the mayor of Crazy town.

Let's talk soup.  It seems that everyone is dealing with snow, ice, or rain.  Nothing goes better with crummy weather than a steamy bowl of soup. 

This makes a big batch but we managed to eat it all.  The recipe said it freezes well but I have never tried it.  I like having a yummy homemade soup in the refrigerator to warm up for lunch.  Between my kids eating multiple bowls and Todd and I having it for lunch a few times, it was gone in jiffy.  I hope you like it as well.


Italian Wedding Soup
adapted from The Best of Country Cooking
11 cups fat-free chicken broth
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup dry dread crumbs
4 Tbl shredded or grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1-12 tsp Italian seasoning, divided
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup orzo pasta
1/4 tsp pepper
5 cups fresh baby spinach or 1 (10oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained


In a large saucepan, bring broth and chicken to a boil. Reduce heat;simmer, uncovered for 15min or until chicken juices run clear. Remove chicken; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, 2 Tbl Shredded Parmesan cheese and 1 tsp Italian seasoning. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-in balls; add to broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10min or until meatballs are no longer pink. Skim fat and discard.
Shred chicken meat. Add chicken, pasta, pepper, and the remaining Italian seasoning to soup. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 12-15min or until the pasta is tender. Add spinach and remaining Parmesan cheese; heat until spinach is wilted and soup is heated through. 
Yield: 8-10 servings


 Missy's tip
I added a few more chicken breasts to the pot in the first step.  Then I had leftover shredded chicken for another use. Salads, casseroles, etc. 
Enjoy!