Italian Wedding Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I based the soup recipe on Ina Garten's version and modified it to my liking. The result? Delicious alternative to a rice-laden dinner! Hope you enjoy making and eating it as much as I did:

Below are the steps for making the soup.

Italian Wedding Soup
Needed for the meatballs:
1lb ground pork
1/2 lb pork sausage, country style, no casings
2 T garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 c bread crumbs (I used Panko)
3 T parsley, finely chopped
1/2 c grated Romano or Parmesan cheese, or a blend of both
1/8 c milk
1 egg
1 t salt
1 t pepper

Needed for the soup:
2 T olive oil
1 c onion, finely chopped
3 pcs carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
10 c chicken broth (store bought)
1/2 c white wine
1 c small pasta
3 T dill, finely chopped
1 bag baby spinach, washed and ready to use

How to make:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl until well blended. You can (should) use your hands to mash them all together. The consistency should be that it forms into a large ball without much residue on your hands or the sides of the bowl. If you are left with egg or milk or other liquids, your consistency is too watery, add bread crumbs sparingly. This is because the consistency of the pork or anything else may be too liquid-y and you want almost like a clay-like form so that it will ball well and not disintegrate when cooking.

3. Form the meatballs into 1 inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes until cooked in the center and slightly browned on the outside.

4. While the meatballs are cooking, make the soup.

5. Drizzle the olive oil in a large soup pot and when warm, add the onions, celery and carrots and let cook with lid until soft. This will take about 7 minutes. Add the wine and let sizzle. Then add the soup stock until boiling. Add the pasta to cook until al dente. Add the dill, then the meatballs. Allow to cook some more. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook no more than until wilted.

6. To serve, ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with extra cheese, if desired. Enjoy with a breadstick or a grilled sandwich below.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Making a grilled cheese sandwich is so easy to make. Take two slices of bread and butter the inside with margarine. Layer with cheese--any cheese and as much as you would like. The more cheese, the cheesier! Each end should have a slice of bread. Melt butter in a pan and "fry" the sandwich. Each side should take about 90 seconds until golden brown. Repeat for the other side of the sandwich, starting with melting more butter in the pan. Enjoy!