Italian Wedding Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 large onion
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 oil-packed dried tomatoes, drained and finely snipped
• ¼ cup fine dry bread crumbs
• 2 tsp dried Italian seasoning, crushed
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 fennel bulb
• 14.5 oz cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
• ½ cups water
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ¾ cup dried orzo
• 5 cups shredded fresh spinach

1. Finely chop one-third of the onion; thinly slice the remaining onion. In a large bowl combine chopped onion, egg, dried tomatoes, bread crumbs, and 1 tsp. of the Italian seasoning. Add beef; mix well. Shape into 12 meatballs. In a large skillet cook meatballs in hot oil over medium-high heat until browned. Drain off fat. Transfer meatballs to a 4-½- or 5-quart slow cooker.
2. Meanwhile, cut off and discard upper stalks of fennel. Remove any wilted outer layers; cut off a thin slice from fennel base. Cut fennel into thin wedges; add to cooker. Add sliced onion, the remaining 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, broth, the water, garlic, and pepper.
3. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours. If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting. Gently stir in uncooked pasta. Cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes more or until pasta is tender. Stir in spinach.