Italian Wedding Soup

I first had this soup at a little deli near our house. It was so warm and satisfying, I knew I had to learn to make it. After doing a little research, I created this recipe which thankfully tastes just as good as I remember.

Italian Wedding Soup

For the meatballs:
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb Italian sausage (mild)
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1 egg
1 Tbsp. flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
olive oil

For the soup:
6 c. chicken broth
1 pkg. frozen spinach, thawed and well drained
1/4 c. grated Romano cheese
1/4 c. barley or orzo
1/2 onion, minced
2 mushrooms, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced

Make the meatballs by combining meat, bread crumbs, egg, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Mix well and form into tiny meatballs (about the size of a cherry tomato). Saute the meatballs in a little olive oil until brown. Drain meatballs on paper towels to absorb oil. Bring broth to a boil and add meatballs plus remaining ingredients except for Romano cheese; simmer until well heated. When ready to serve, ladle into bowls and top each serving with cheese and an additional sprinkle of parsley if desired.