Italian Wedding Soup With Escarole Recipe

Serves/Makes: 8

INGREDIENTS:

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons snipped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 pound lean ground beef (93% lean)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 large carrots, chopped
2 tablespoons snipped fresh oregano
1 small head escarole (8 ounce size), trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 cup dried acini di pepe pasta
fresh oregano sprigs (optional)

PREPARATION:

In a large bowl, combine eggs, onion, bread crumbs, cheese, parsley,
1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper. Add ground
beef; mix well. Shape mixture into forty 1-1/4-inch meatballs. In a
large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil; brown meatballs, half at a time.
Drain on paper toweling.

In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine broth, carrots, dried oregano
(if using), the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the remaining 1/4
teaspoon pepper. Gently add meatballs.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 hours or on high-heat setting
for 3 hours, stirring in fresh oregano (if using), pasta, and escarole
during the last 20 minutes of cooking. Ladle into bowls. If desired,
garnish with oregano sprigs. Soup will thicken upon standing.

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