Italian Wedding Soup

I've eaten Italian Wedding Soup on several occasions, but I've never made it myself. I was thinking about some kind of special Soup to make for Christmas Day dinner, since we planned our big meal for Christmas Eve this year in order to accommodate our childrens' in-laws. After researching recipes, I came up with my own, based on several other recipes. I've had many requests for the recipe, so here you go!  Shown here with my homemade, crusty French bread. 

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• Olive oil
• 12 oz. ground beef
• 12 oz. ground pork
• 2/3 c. fresh, chopped Italian parsley
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 slices bread
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 c. grated fresh Parmesan cheese 
• 12 cups chicken broth (I use chicken base and water...no bouillon, it's not the same thing)
• 3/4-1 lb. fresh spinach, roughly sliced
• 8 oz. Ancini de Pepe pasta (it's worth seeking this out, Safeway has it)
• Fresh grated Parmesan for serving 
• Fresh ground pepper for serving

Sauté onions in olive oil. Combine all ingredients except broth, spinach, and pasta, and mix well. Make into tiny meatballs (about 1 tsp. of mixture) and place on baking tray. Heat broth on medium high in large stockpot and add spinach, when broth comes to a simmer, add meatballs, stirring to make sure they don't stick to each other. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add pasta and simmer another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, reducing heat if necessary to maintain simmer. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese and fresh pepper and bread of choice. 

Pairs nicely with a Pinot Gris or Riesling.