Italian Wedding Soup

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb bulk italian sausage
• 3 medium carrots, sliced
• 3 celery ribs, diced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 (14 1/2 ounce) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans beef broth
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil
• 1 (1 ounce) envelope onion soup mix
• 4 1/2 teaspoons ketchup
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta

Recipe

• 1 in a large bowl, combine eggs and bread crumbs. crumble beef and sausage over mixture; mix well. shape into 3/4-inch balls.
• 2 place meatballs on a greased rack in a foil-lined 15-inch 10-inch x 1-inch baking pan. bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until no longer pink.
• 3 meanwhile, in a soup kettle or dutch oven, sauté carrots, celery, onion and garlic in oil until tender.
• 4 stir in the broth, spinach, basil, soup mix, ketchup, thyme and bay leaves.
• 5 drain meatballs on paper towels.
• 6 bring soup to a boil; add meatballs.
• 7 reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes.
• 8 add pasta; cook 13-15 minutes longer or until tender, stirring occasionally.
• 9 discard bay leaves before serving.