Italian Wedding Soup

I love soup. Next to desserts I think it might very well be my favorite food "category".  French onion soup, my mom's pea soup, chicken noodle soup, beef and barley soup, ... , on a cold day there is nothing that tastes quite as good as a nice hot bowl of soup.  Tonight I made Italian Wedding soup, which is a favorite in our house. Even the kids like it, not minding the spinach and carrots that can easily be spotted floating around in it.  It's easy to make too, which is a plus in this busy household. The only thing that does take a bit of time is rolling the little meatballs - when Giuliana is home I get her to help me with that job :) Here is the recipe, which I got here , along with the few changes I made to it.

Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients:

* 1/2 pound extra-lean ground beef

* 1 egg, lightly beaten

* 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs

* 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

* 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

* 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

* 5 3/4 cups chicken broth

* 2 cups chopped spinach 

* 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta

* 1/3 cup finely chopped carrot

I usually double the recipe, since there are five of us the original recipe, which serves 4, just doesn't cut it, especially since we all usually go back for seconds :) 

1. In medium bowl, combine meat, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, basil and onion powder; shape into 3/4 inch balls.  Brown the little meatballs in a frying pan and set aside.
2. In large saucepan, heat broth to boiling; stir in spinach, orzo pasta, chopped carrot and meatballs. Return to boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cook at slow boil for 10 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese before serving.

 

Finally, before I call it a night, here is another book recommendation from Noah and I :)

Sometimes I Like to Curl up in a Ball by Vicki Churchill and Charles Fuge is such a cute book. Both the illustration and story are absolutely adorable.  There are more Little Wombat books, but this one is definitely our favourite. The others just don't have the same charm that this one does.  I love the rhythm and rhyme of it, you can almost sing it to your little one.  I love the illustrations, and all the adorable animals that are in it. I especially love how Little Wombat reminds me so very much of my busy little Noah.  We bought this one as a board book but also have The Adventures of Little Wombat which has this story along  with  three other Little Wombat tales. I would highly recommend either one, your little ones are sure to fall in love with Little Wombat just as we have :)