California Italian Wedding Soup

[BEG]

I really wanted to try this soup but I wasn't feeling up to making it on saturday.  My husband went to the store and bought everything and made the soup for me so I guess he still loves me even though I've been a huge PITA lately.  It was really good so I thought I would share the recipe.  The picture on the site doesn't look so hot, it looked a lot better in person.  We doubled the recipe and the leftovers the next day were just as yummy.  Added some hot sauce the next day to spice it up a bit. 


http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/California-Italian-Wedding-Soup/Detail.aspx

California Italian Wedding Soup   

Rated: 5 out of 5 by 97 members   Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes   Ready In: 25 Minutes
Yields: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped Italian flat leaf parsley(optional)
2 green onions, sliced (optional)
5 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 cups finely sliced escarole (spinach may be substituted) *we used spinach
1 lemon, zested
1/2 cup orzo (rice-shaped pasta), uncooked
grated Parmesan cheese for topping

DIRECTIONS:

1.   Mix together the meat, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, basil, parsley, and green onions; shape into 3/4
    inch balls.
2.   Pour broth into a large saucepan over high heat. When boiling, drop in meatballs. Stir in escarole, lemon zest and orzo. Return to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Cook at a slow boil for 10 minutes or until orzo is tender, stirring frequently. Serve sprinkled with cheese

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[Flame]

clarification, please...the meatballs go into the soup raw, and then it only needs to cook for 10 minutes?   And they really get  cooked that way????

[BEG]

clarification, please...the meatballs go into the soup raw, and then it only needs to cook for 10 minutes?   And they really get  cooked that way????

Yes they go into the soup raw so make sure you use the leanest beef you can find so you don't have grease floating in the soup.  Use a mellon baller to make the meatballs, they are small enough to cook quickly.  My husband cooked it for about 15 minutes though.