Italian Wedding Soup

Meatball Ingredients
1 small onion, grated
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 large egg
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
8 ounces ground beef
8 ounces ground pork (or Italian sausage)
Freshly ground black pepper

Soup Ingredients
12 cups low-sodium chicken broth/stock
1 pound escarole, rinsed and chopped (1 pound of curly endive would be a good substitution)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12-16oz orzo pasta, cooked al dente

To make the meatballs, combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Set aside.

To make the soup, bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. If using homemade broth/stock, add the leftover carrots, celery, and onion too. Add the meatballs and escarole. Simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the escarole is tender, about 10-15 minutes. Add the cooked orzo pasta to the soup.

Whisk the eggs and cheese in a medium bowl to blend. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg, about 1 minute. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. Finish soup with parmesan cheese if desired.