T and I were recovering from a cough and cold that left us worn, so we looked to an Italian Wedding Soup to soothe our throats and bones. Rolling the little meatballs, swirling in the eggs and cheese, and finally, slurping up the hot broth was just what the doctor ordered.

Italian Wedding Soup
From Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis, with minor edits and additions

Ingredients

Meatballs:
1 small onion, grated or finely diced
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 large egg
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or another hard aged cheese (we used Pecorino Romano)
8 ounces ground beef
8 ounces ground pork
Freshly ground black pepper

Soup:
12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound curly endive, coarsely chopped (we used baby spinach)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan or another hard aged cheese, plus extra for garnish
1 cup orzo or another small pasta
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

To make the meatballs: Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.

To make the soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the orzo, meatballs, and curly endive and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the curly endive is tender, about 8 minutes (if you use spinach, add in the last minute, as it cooks quickly). 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 and red pepper flakes, if desired.