Add the olive oil to a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium to medium-low heat.

Add the diced celery, carrots and onion along with a couple shakes of crushed red pepper, a little salt and some freshly cracked black pepper.

Sauté until the vegetables soften and become translucent and lightly golden. You aren’t looking to caramelize them here — just get them nice and tender.

Once the vegetables are softened, add the sliced or chopped garlic.

Stir everything together and sauté for another minute or so, just until that garlic becomes fragrant. Don’t let it burn!

Pour in the entire jar of tomato basil marinara sauce.

Now here’s my favorite little trick: pour some of the chicken stock right into the empty sauce jar, put the lid back on and give it a good shake. Pour that into the pot so you get EVERY last bit of that sauce out of the jar.

Add the remaining chicken stock along with 1 cup of water and stir everything together.

Bring the soup to a boil.

Once the soup is boiling, add the frozen mini meatballs and radiatori pasta.

The frozen meatballs will probably bring the temperature of the soup down, so let everything come back up to a boil.

Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente and the meatballs are heated all the way through.

Stay by the pot and give it a stir every so often! When you’re cooking pasta directly in soup, you don’t want it settling and sticking to the bottom.

Once the pasta is just about where you want it, lower the heat and add:

3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano

1 cup heavy cream

5 oz roughly chopped fresh spinach

Stir everything together until the cheese melts into the broth, the spinach wilts and the soup becomes creamy and beautiful.

Let it gently simmer for just a few minutes so everything comes together.

Then THAT’S IT!

Ladle it into bowls and top each serving with a little extra Pecorino Romano or Parmesan.

Absolutely un-freaking-real.