Meatball game soup

This recipe is a wonderful way of using up different cuts of meat from any type of game. It calls for ¾ pound of ground meat, which could be moose, venison, duck, goose, or elk or a combination of all of them.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
One 14-ounce can whole tomatoes, that you have crushed by hand with juice
2 tbsp. tomato paste
3 cups beef broth
1 tsp. Italian seasoning, divided
1 tsp. salt, divided
¾ cup ground game
¼ cup ground pork
2 large eggs, beaten
½ cup finely grated Parmesan, divided
¼ cup Italian style bread crumbs
½ cup tripolini pasta (little bows) or any other small pasta
3 cups baby spinach
2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a medium mixing bowl, combine ground meat, pork, eggs, 1⁄3 cup Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, 1⁄2 tsp. Italian seasoning, and 1⁄2 tsp. salt. Mix until thoroughly combined. Divide meat into 1 tbsp.-size meatballs, roll and place on baking sheet. When meatballs are complete, place in oven for 15 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Place a soup pot over medium high heat. Add olive oil and heat. Add chopped onion and celery, stirring until vegetables are soft (2 to 3 minutes). Add garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes with juice, beef broth, tomato paste, ½ tsp. Italian seasoning, and ½ tsp. salt. Stir to combine, bring to a simmer, and let simmer for 25 minutes.

Add meatballs to soup and continue to simmer for 10 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through. Add pasta and spinach to soup, stir well, and continue to cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the chopped basil. Serve with extra Parmesan for garnish.