Italian Wedding Soup

I needed to use up some spinach that I had, so I made Italian Wedding Soup.

Slow-Cooker Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons plain bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 1 small head escarole (8 ounces), washed, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 3/4 cups acini di pepe pasta (such as Ronzoni)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together egg, beef, onion, bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon Parmesan, 1 tablespoon parsley and 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Form into 1-inch meatballs (about 45) and place on baking sheet; refrigerate while preparing soup.
2. Combine broth, carrots, escarole and oregano in slow cooker. Gently add meatballs. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours. Stir in pasta for last 20 minutes of cook time. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Sprinkle each serving with remaining parsley and Parmesan cheese and serve.

I made a few changes (I used spinach instead of escarole and after adding the pasta, I jacked the heat up to high and cooked it for longer than necessary), and it didn't turn out as expected. With the added time, the pasta soaked up practically all of the liquid, so I added water to make it "soup." The flavor was good, and the reason why I cooked it for longer was because the meatballs didn't look like they cooked through. Perhaps they did, but if I make this dish again, I'll only use a cup of pasta.
I also finished listening to an audiobook, "Never Go Back," by Lee Child.

I enjoy a good Jack Reacher novel, and this one was much better than the last one. I was disappointed by the ending, but it makes sense, and I can't expect Reacher to change, can I?