Italian Wedding Soup

Italian wedding soup gets its name from the marriage of meat and greens. You can use ground beef, pork, or lamb--depending on your personal preferences.

1	large onion
3	oil-packed dried tomatoes, finely snipped
2	teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1	pound lean ground beef
1	egg, slightly beaten
1/4	cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/4	teaspoon salt
2	teaspoons olive oil
1	large fennel bulb
4	14-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
6	cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2	teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4	cup dried orzo pasta
5	cups shredded fresh spinach

1. Finely chop one-third of the onion; thinly slice remaining onion. In a large bowl, combine chopped onion, dried tomatoes, and 1 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning. Add ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, and salt; mix well. Shape into 12 meatballs. In a Dutch oven, brown meatballs in hot oil. Carefully drain off fat.
2. Meanwhile, cut off and discard upper stalks of fennel. If desired, save some of the feathery fennel leaves for a garnish. Remove any wilted outer layers; cut off a thin slice from fennel base. Cut fennel into thin wedges; add to Dutch oven with sliced onion, broth, garlic, the remaining 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning and the black pepper.
3. Bring to boiling; stir in orzo. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until orzo is tender.
4. Stir in spinach. If desired, garnish soup with reserved fennel leaves. Makes 6 main-dish servings.