Cheater Italian Wedding Soup

Cheater Italian Wedding Soup

1 bag Trader Joe’s Mini Party Meatballs
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 cup minced yellow onion
1 cup diced carrots, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup diced celery, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
10 cups chicken stock
1 cup ditilini
8-12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed
1 tbsp freeze dried dill

Fresh grated Parmesan
juice from half of a lemon
salt and pepper, to taste

Pan fry meatballs, according to directions in the label.

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, carrots and celery and saute until the onion is transparent, about 7 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and meatballs, return to a boil, and cook until the pasta is cooked al dente. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning to your liking with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Add the spinach, dill, and Parmesan and simmer for a couple of minutes more, until the spinach is just wilted but still a vibrant green. Stir in lemon juice.

Ladle into bowls and serve with extra grated Parmesan cheese.

NOTES:

1. I am horrible at measuring things, I usually just throw things into the pot, add stuff, taste, add more….. So, these amounts are mostly estimates. Add more dill or Parmesan if you want. Love carrots? Add more! Want more lemon? Sounds good! Need more pasta? Go for it! 
2. I really like the Trader Joe’s Mini Party Meatballs. They have a great flavor, are tender, and are small enough that they don’t overwhelm the soup. So, use whatever meatballs you want but I recommend mini ones. 
3. I had a jar of freeze dried dill in my cabinet that a friend left at my house so I gave it a shot one night when I didn’t have fresh dill. It worked great and I didn’t have to deal with tearing the dill leaves of the stalk and chopping it up. So it works for cheater soup.