Parmesan Meatball Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 batch Parmesan Meatballs by Kittencal
8 ounces lean ground beef
8 ounces ground pork
1 large egg
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (grated) or 1/4 cup romano cheese (grated)
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumb
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
black pepper
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped or 1 tablespoon dried parsley
Soup
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans low sodium beef broth
2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
2 -3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, chopped (optional)
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon italian seasoning
4 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

Preparation

Meatballs:
Mix all meatball ingredients together.
Form into marble-sized meatballs. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Soup:
In a extra large saucepan or stock pot over medium heat, heat olive oil.
Add onion and saute until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Increase heat to HIGH and add diced tomatoes, broth, Parsley, and seasonings; and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to LOW and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove meatballs from refrigerator; gently slip each into soup mixture and simmer over MED-LOW heat until meatballs are cooked through, about 25 minutes.
Increase temp to MED-HIGH; add rice; cook for about 15 minutes; then add spinach and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Check and adjust seasonings.
To serve:
Ladle into warmed bowls and garnish with Parsley sprigs and a sprinkle of shredded Mozzarella Cheese.