Photo by Liz Chrisman
Recipe by Lydia Zimmerman
Meatballs:
3 T olive oil
3 T minced garlic
8 oz ground Italian sausage
8 oz ground pork sausage
½ c breadcrumbs
3 T Italian seasoning
1 T dried oregano
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp sea salt
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
Soup:
1 T olive oil
1 lg chopped yellow onion
2 lg carrots peeled and grated
5 oz finely chopped fresh baby spinach
2-3 T garlic salt, to desired taste
1 T ground black pepper
10 cups chicken broth (I like to use Roasted Chicken Better than Bouillon)
1/2 c dried acini di pepe pasta
3/4 bag of (19 oz) Best Choice frozen Cheese filled tortellini
shredded Parmesan cheese for serving
Place olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. While oil is heating, place ground meat in a large bowl. Add next 7 ingredients, mix well with your clean hands. Form small marble sized meatballs. After all meatballs are made place minced garlic and meatballs in the heated skillet. Brown meatballs well, stirring frequently. When all the meatballs are browned place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
While meatballs are draining, place prepared vegetables and seasonings in a slow cooker. Add the meatballs to the crockpot and add chicken broth to mixture.Stir well and place lid on cooker. Cook on low heat for 3 hours, then removed lid and place pasta and frozen tortellini to crock pot. Stir well and replace lid. Cook an additional hour on low heat.
Serve hot topped with shredded Parmesan cheese and a slice of warm bread.
