Warm cozy soup in a dreary yuck day.

Trying new recipes on Friday night shouldn't be a thing for me. Making complicated soup and a bread, add some cookie dough and getting things ready for a party... well this got a bit crazy. Good thing this soup turned out wonderful. I ended up using turkey because that's what my store had. You could absolutely prep the veg and the meatballs ahead. I made the meatballs bigger than they needed to be but no one in my family complained... Nicholas loves meatballs in all forms so he was a happy camper. Actually Andy and Nicholas together finished the left overs in less than two days. I would say that's a good indication about how good this soup is. Nice to have some warm soup in the middle of the February blah.

Chicken Meatball Soup
Meatballs
1 lb. ground chicken
½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons half and half, can sub milk
1 egg, whisked
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon EACH: Italian seasoning, salt, onion powder
Soup
2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, diced
¾ cup carrots, sliced
2 ribs celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
¾ teaspoon EACH: dried basil, oregano, parsley, mustard powder
¼ teaspoon EACH: dried thyme, ground sage, pepper
7 cups chicken broth
1 chicken bouillon cube
3/4 cup ditalini pasta, uncooked. See notes
4 cups baby spinach
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Juice from 1 lemon, about 2 tbsp.

Instructions
Add the meatball ingredients to a large bowl and mix gently until just combined, don’t overwork the meat or the meatballs will be tough. Measure out remaining ingredients before beginning.
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Roll the meat mixture into 1-inch meatballs (no larger), and transfer to a light-colored, lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 11 minutes. Broil at 475° F for up to 1 minute to add a little more color. Remove and use a spatula to transfer to a plate.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and soften for 5 minutes, stirring periodically. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hot sauce, and seasonings and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the chicken broth and chicken bouillon cube. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Add the meatballs and simmer gently while you boil the pasta separately until al dente. Drain and add the pasta to serving bowls. (Otherwise, the pasta tends to absorb the broth during storage and can become mushy.)
Add the spinach to the soup and let it wilt, about 3-4 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese and lemon juice. Ladle into serving bowls and serve.