Recipe: Italian wedding soup

Once the Christmas leftovers are done, I'm also done with cooking and cleaning and looking for some easy and light meals.

This recipe for Italian wedding soup fits the bill. I found a version of it in the December issue of the Food Network Magazine, but I made some changes and substitutions to fit my schedule.

The main change: I used prepared turkey meatballs instead of making my own. We love Trader Joe's version. I also used fresh spinach instead of escarole since the store I was at (Trader Joe's) didn't have any escarole.

This recipe would be so easy to double or triple if you have a crowd at the house.

Italian Wedding Soup

Frozen turkey meatballs (The number depends on the size and your appetite. Six Trader Joe's turkey meatballs were enough to satisfy my family for a meal).
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
Fresh spinach (I used a 6 ounce bag from Trader Joe's)
3/4 cup ditalini pasta

Prepare the meatballs as directed. On the stove, heat olive oil in a pot and add the onion, garlic, Italian seasoning and salt. Stir and cook until the onion is softened. Pour in the chicken broth, water, spinach and pasta. Cover and bring to a boil. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat and partially uncover the pot so that it simmers for about 10 minutes.

Add in the cooked meatballs and let it simmer for about three minutes.

We sprinkled the soup with a little Parmesan. This one is great with some crusty bread!

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