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Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

• 1 large onion
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 oil-packed dried tomatoes, drained and finely snipped
• 1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crushed
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large fennel bulb
• 2 14.5-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup dried orzo
• 5 cups shredded spinach

Directions

1. Finely chop one-third of the onion.
2. Thinly slice remaining onion.
3. In a large bowl combine chopped onion, egg, dried tomatoes, bread crumbs, and 1 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning.
4. Add ground beef.
5. Mix well.
6. Shape mixture into 12 meatballs.
7. In a large skillet cook meatballs in hot oil over medium-high heat until brown on all sides.
8. Remove from skillet.
9. Drain on paper towels.
10. Transfer meatballs to a slow cooker.
11. Meanwhile, cut off and discard upper stalks of fennel.
12. Remove and save off some of the feathery leaves for garnish.
13. Remove any wilted outer layers.
14. Cut off and discard a thin slice from fennel base.
15. Cut fennel into thin wedges.
16. Add to cooker.
17. Add remaining ingredients except pasta and spinach.
18. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
19. If using low setting, turn to high setting.
20. Gently stir in pasta.
21. Cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes.
22. Stir in spinach.
23. Garnish each serving with the reserved fennel leaves.

Attribution