Italian Wedding Soup

Aunt Deb asked me to post this one after our Sunday night Italianfest at Uncle John and Aunt Kate's. It's pretty easy, but the meatballs take forever to make! This will make about 14 cups.

Soup Ingredients:

• 1/2 head of escarole - washed and ends removed
• 2 large carrots chopped
• 2 celery stalks chopped - include leaves
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 medium size white onion chopped
• 1 tbls olive oil (or cooking spray)
• 12 cups chicken stock
• 4 oz macaroni pasta (I use whole wheat)

Meatball Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound ground beef (or turkey or chicken)
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (this can be kind of pricey - you could substitute Kraft Shredded Parmesan, Romano and Asiago Cheese blend)
• 1/4 cup grated onion
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 tbls fresh Italian flat leaf parsley - chopped
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions:

• In a large pot heat olive oil.
• Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic - season with pepper and saute
• While vegetables are sauteing, chiffonade escarole by stacking the leaves, rolling it and then cutting it into tiny strips
• When vegetables are tender, add the chicken stock and escarole - bring to a boil, then simmer until escarole is tender - about 30 minutes -Stir occasionally
• Begin making meatballs by combining meat, bread crumbs, cheese, onion, egg, salt, pepper, parsley, and Italian seasoning
• Shape the meat into tiny balls - no bigger than 1 inch - I used a melonballer to help keep them small
• When escarole is tender - drop meatballs into soup one at a time and add pasta
• Cook for another 20 minutes stirring occasionally