Leila'S Super Italian Wedding Soup!

• Meat Ball Ingredients-
• 5 links chicken sausage (casing removed)
• 1 egg
• 1 C. bread crumbs
• 2 tsp. dried fennel seeds chopped
• 1 T. minced fresh Italian Parsley
• 1 dash cheyenne pepper *optional
• Soup Ingredients-
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 finely chopped white onion
• 1 tsp. dried or fresh thyme
• 1 tsp. dried sage
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 carrot finely chopped
• 1 celery stock finely chopped
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1 dried or fresh bay leaf
• 1 #. dried orzo
• 1 C. roughly, spinach
• S/P to taste

1. Mix meatball ingredients together and make small meatballs, the size of a marble. If forming the meatballs is difficult add more bread crumbs. Cover and refrigerate.
2. In a medium pan cook orzo al dente, drain and set aside. Prep veggies.
3. In a large pot, saute onion, thyme and sage in olive oil. When the onion turns a golden color add garlic, carrot and celery. Set veggie mixture aside on a plate after all of the flavors have infused and the garlic looks golden.
4. In the same pot, Add meat balls and brown on all sides stirring frequently. Add veggies, chicken stock, bay leaf. Simmer gently (never boil) until veggies are tender and meat balls are cooked through. Add cooked orzo (if cooked too long the orzo will soak up too much broth). Add spinach at the end to maintain it's fresh, green color! S&P to taste.
5. Serve with buttery, garlic-herb bread!

chicken sausage, egg, bread crumbs, fresh italian parsley, cheyenne pepper, olive oil, white onion, thyme, sage, garlic, carrot, celery, chicken stock, bay leaf, orzo

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/leilas-super-italian-wedding-soup-50066612 (may not work)