Italian Wedding Soup

Meatballs:
1 lb. ground chicken (can substitute pork, turkey or beef)
2/3 c bread crumbs
2 minced garlic cloves
3 tbl. chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 c grated Parmesan/Romano cheese
3 tbl. milk
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper

Soup:
2 tbl. olive oil
1 minced yellow onion
1 c diced carrots (3ish carrots)
3/4 c sliced celery (2ish stalks)
10 c chicken stock
1 c small pasta
1/4 c chopped flat leaf parsley
12 oz BABY spinach

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Parmesan/Romano cheese, milk, egg, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (40ish meatballs, not perfectly round) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and slightly browned. Set aside.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stock, bring to a boil. Padd pasta to broth and cook for 6-8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add parsley and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted.