Italian Meatball Soup

Italian Meatball Soup

Ingredients

For the meatballs
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, grated
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

For the soup
1/2 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups chicken or beef broth
15 oz canned tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 cup dried orzo pasta
1 bunch kale, chopped
Optional - parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 400° .
Combine all of the meatball ingredients together in a bowl. Roll mixture into 1 1/2 inch meatballs, about 12 meatballs total.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, while the meatballs are baking, prepare the soup.
Heat oil in a pot over medium heat and sauté onions and garlic for 3 minutes.
Stir in dried basil and oregano.
Add chicken broth and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium low cover and let simmer until meatballs are done baking.
Stir in meatballs and orzo. Check seasonings and bring back to a boil. Cover and let simmer over medium low heat for 9 minutes.
Stir and kale and cook for another 2 minutes. Serve with parmesan cheese and garlic bread if desired

Note
Orzo will continue to absorb the soup as it sits, add more broth if desired.

Garlic bread

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 baguette or bread of choice

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine butter, garlic, parsley and Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Spread a good layer onto the bread.
Bake 8-10 minutes (time will vary depending on size of bread). Optional- broil for 1 minute.

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