Crock Pot Italian Wedding Soup

• Meatballs
• lean ground beef↗1 lb
• egg, slightly beaten↗1
• breadcrumbs↗1⁄4 cup
• fresh parsley, chopped↗1⁄4 cup
• oregano↗1 teaspoon
• basil↗1 teaspoon
• salt↗1⁄2 teaspoon
• pepper↗1⁄2 teaspoon
• parmesan cheese, grated↗1⁄4 cup
• Soup
• chicken stock↗6 cups
• boneless cooked chicken breast (baked or boiled and chopped into shreds)1 cup
• onion, finely chopped↗1⁄2 cup
• carrot, finely chopped↗1⁄2 cup
• cup celery, finely chopped↗1⁄2
• cups escarole or 2 cups spinach, torn into small pieces↗2
• bay leaves↗2
• teaspoons garlic powder↗1 1⁄2
• teaspoon fresh ground black pepper↗1⁄4
• cup pastina pasta or 1/4 cup acini di pepe pasta↗1⁄4
• parmesan cheese, for serving↗

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Meatballs: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. 2

   Mix all ingredients together.

3. 3

   Form into very small balls (I get approximately 90 meatballs from 1 pound ground beef. I bake mine on a nonstick cookie sheet and turn them half-way through the cooking time).

4. 4

   Bake about 10-15 minutes, until the meatballs have browned but are still soft (watch closely).

5. 5

   Remove from oven and drain on paper towel, if necessary.

6. 6

   Soup: Place all of the ingredients, except the pasta and escarole or spinach, into the crock pot with meatballs.

7. 7

   Cook on low for 8 hours (Add pasta and escarole or spinach during the last hour of cooking and salt to taste, if necessary).

8. 8

   Remove bay leaves.

9. 9

   Top each serving with grated parmesan or romano cheese.

10. 10

    Note: The meatballs must be prepared before being put into the crock pot (make them the night before and put them in the refrigerator, or even keep a batch in the freezer. I basically prepare as much as I can in advance so all I have to do is just put it all in the crock pot in the morning).