easy italian wedding soup

Forget the marble-size meatballs you find in many versions of this soup. In this easy recipe, they're full-size, full-flavored and plenty filling.

Ingredient

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 ⅓ cups chopped yellow onion
⅔ cup chopped carrot
⅔ cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons minced garlic
6 cups unsalted chicken broth
6 ounces orzo, preferably whole-wheat
1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
½ teaspoon kosher salt
24 cooked chicken meatballs (12 ounces), such as Easy Chicken Meatballs (see associated recipe)
4 cups baby spinach
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 4 to 5 minutes.
Add broth, cover and bring to a boil. Add orzo, oregano and salt; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is just tender, about 9 minutes.
Stir in meatballs and spinach; cook until the meatballs are heated through and the spinach is wilted, 2 to 4 minutes.
Serve sprinkled with cheese and drizzled with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil.