This is, in the incarnations I've seen it, a broth-based soup with greens and meatballs. I know someone's going to be horrified, but since this is called "Italian," I decided a good, flavorful shortcut for the recipe would be to use sweet Italian sausage to make the meatballs. I can never find packages that contain ground beef, veal and pork all together, and buying the separate packs would result in entirely too much meat, so this seemed like a good way to make up for the loss of flavor.

This is a recipe from Rachael Ray's second cookbook. You start by sauteeing, then sweating, two chopped carrots and two chopped celery stalks in olive oil (I don't know if the recipe doesn't include an onion or if I just forgot to put it it). While that's cooking, covered, mix 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing, with 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs, 1 egg, salt, pepper, nutmeg and minced garlic. Add 6 cups chicken stock and 2 cups water to the carrots and celery and bring to a boil, then form the meat mixture into small meatballs and drop into the soup. Add about a cup of small pasta (I used elbow macaroni; she suggests broken up linguine) and boil for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile chop and wash fresh spinach. When the pasta's soft and the meatballs are cooked through, add the spinach and allow it to wilt. Serve with more Parmesan grated on top.

I liked the flavor of the sausage meatballs, with the sweet fennel-seed taste, and will probably make them again.