What's for Dinner? Polpette and Orzo

Polpette are simply Italian meatballs. This recipe is simple, tasty and ready in less than 30 minutes.

For the bread, I used a nice thick slice of leftover homemade rustic Italian loaf made a couple of days ago.

1 thick slice white bread

1/2 cup milk
5-6 cups beef stock
1 cup orzo
1 lb ground sirloin
1/2 cup onion , chopped
1 cup freshly grated parmesan, divided
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped and divided
salt and pepper, to taste
6-12 baby carrots,  sliced

Soak the bread in the milk for 4 or 5 minutes, or til soggy. Squeeze the bread to remove excess milk.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of Dutch oven on high heat, add stock and carrots. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Combine the meat, onion, half the cheese, half the parsley and salt and pepper. Shape into small balls.

Gently lower meatballs into stock and simmer for about 10 minutes,  or til carrot is tender.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta til done. Drain. Add cooked orzo to soup and heat through.

Remove from heat. Sprinkle soup with remaining parmesan cheese. Stir to blend.

Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.