Italian Wedding Soup

True confession time.  I used to buy Campbell's Italian Wedding Soup out of the can all the time.  I thought it was some pretty good stuff.  Well because it is!  But, lately I've been trying to do more home cooking and less canned foods.  So I decided to make my own version of the stuff.  The temperature has also dropped a little, and I can eat soup for lunch everyday.  Add to that a husband who would like me to spend less money on eating out everyday - if I want to build another dream house someday.  And that's my motivation......

Ingredients:

• Ground pork - about 1 lb. 
• Green onions, chopped
• Fish sauce, optional
• Garlic Powder, to taste
• 1 Bunch of Kale, shredded, stems discarded
• Half a bag of baby carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 White onion, finely diced
• 1 Cup of Acini de Pepe pasta (Kroger brand)
• 8 cups of chicken broth, lower sodium, no MSG
• 2 tbsp butter and/or 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Mix the ground pork with the green onions, fish sauce, and garlic powder for maximum flavor.
2. Heat a medium stock pot with the butter and olive oil.  Add the onions and carrots.  Cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the chicken broth.  Adjust heat to high to bring it up to a boil.
4. But meantime, start to make the meatballs - smaller than the ones I made!  Drop into the hot broth.
5. Simmer over medium heat about 20 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked.
6. Add the pasta.  Bring back up to a boil again.  Add the kale, then cover, simmer.  
7. Check occasionally until the kale is tender.