Happy Valentine's Day, Y'all!
I hope you had a lovely Valentine's Day! Our Souper Tuesday group celebrated Valentine's Day with a steaming bowl of  Italian Wedding Soup, aptly named for it's "married" flavors. Coupled (no pun intended) with some crusty Italian bread, a great green salad (thanks, Melissa!), and delicious dark chocolate dessert, it was a sweet, sweet evening.

We'd be remiss if we didn't send special happy birthday wishes to Miss Helen. She celebrated 21+ on Valentine's day. Happy Birthday! She and Arlene went out on the town (Nash-Vegas?) so we'll just have to celebrate with her next week.

Sage gives this soup a distinctive flavor. I love the little meatballs and the mix of spinach and cheese. Like Arlene always says, you can't go wrong with cheese!  It was really easy to make. I made the meatballs ahead of time and the hardest part seemed to be getting them small enough. They should be about an inch in diameter. Mine kept getting bigger and bigger so I ended up taking a pinch away from most and re-rolling. Other than that, this is a very quick, easy and delicious dish. Enjoy!

Italian Wedding Soup
1 TBS olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp fresh sage, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 parmesan cheese rind, plus one TBS grated parmesan, plus more for topping
1/2 lbs ground pork
3 Tbs seasoned bread crumbs
3/4 cup orzo
8 oz baby spinach

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until soften, about 4 minutes. Add half the garlic and 1 tsp each of Worcestershire sauce and sage - cook about a minute. Add the chicken broth, 2 cups of water and the parmesan rind. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for 7 minutes.

Make the meatballs: mix the port, breadcrumbs, 1 tsp grated cheese, remaining garlic, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp sage in a bowl. Form into 1 inch balls.

Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Stir in the orzo and cook for 5 minutes. Add the meatballs and cook until firm and float to the top - about 4 more minutes. Stir in the spinach stir just until wilted. Ladle soup into bowls and top with additional parmesan.

You will need to add some broth if you reheat for another meal.

Please let me know how you like this soup. Rate it on a scale of 1-5 (5=fabulous). See you next week!