Italian Wedding Soup

Combine all meatball ingredients and roll into 10 large meatballs or 20 smaller ones. In a large soup or stock pot, heat olive oil over medium/high heat. Add meatballs in two batches and brown on each side for ~2 mins per side. Place on a plate or tray and set aside. To the olive oil with meatball fat add: onions, carrots, celery and garlic and salt generously— sauté until soft ~5 mins. Season with dry oregano and basil, stir again. Add chicken broth, Parmesan rind, and bay leaves and bring everything to a boil, then simmer for ~10-12 mins. Add acini di Pepe (or preferred pasta) for the last 5 minutes of simmering. Add kale or spinach and freshly-grated parmesan and simmer for 5 mins. Serve with fresh bread. I love to top with more grated Parmesan right before digging in! Enjoy every single spoonful!