Description
This Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup combines savory meatballs with tender vegetables, delicate pasta, and fresh spinach in a flavorful chicken broth. Perfect for an easy, comforting meal, this soup simmers gently in the slow cooker, allowing all the flavors to meld beautifully while you go about your day.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Meatballs:
- ½ lb. ground Italian sausage (or plain ground pork)
- ½ lb. ground beef
- 1 egg
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Soup:
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 2 whole carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ¾ cup Acini de pepe pasta
- 5 cups fresh spinach
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the Meatball Mixture: In a mixing bowl, combine the ground Italian sausage, ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, grated Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, dried parsley, salt, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly until ingredients are well incorporated.
- Shape Meatballs: Form the mixture into small meatballs approximately ¾ inch in diameter, ensuring they are uniform in size for even cooking.
- Sear the Meatballs: Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and brown them on all sides. Note that they don’t need to be fully cooked at this stage—just seared for flavor and texture.
- Transfer to Slow Cooker: Place the seared meatballs into the slow cooker to begin slow cooking with the soup ingredients.
- Add Vegetables and Broth: Add the diced celery, carrots, onion, minced garlic, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker. Stir gently to combine all ingredients evenly.
- Cook Soup: Set the slow cooker to high for 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours. Allow the soup to cook until the vegetables are tender and flavors have melded together.
- Add Pasta: About 30 minutes before the soup finishes cooking, stir in the Acini de pepe pasta. Ensure the pasta is evenly distributed and continue cooking until it is al dente.
- Incorporate Spinach: Once the soup is done cooking, add the fresh spinach to the slow cooker and stir. Let the spinach wilt in the hot soup for about 5 minutes, then stir again to combine.
- Serve and Garnish: Ladle the hot Italian wedding soup into bowls, garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley if desired, and serve immediately for a comforting meal.
Notes
- The pasta absorbs some of the chicken broth during cooking, so you may want to add extra broth when serving if you prefer a soupier consistency.
- Acini de pepe is a traditional small pasta used in Italian wedding soup; however, small pasta shapes like orzo, ditalini, or small shells can be substituted.
- Spinach can be replaced with other leafy greens such as kale or Swiss chard for variation.
- Slow cooker cooking times may vary depending on the appliance’s size and settings; check occasionally towards the end to ensure pasta is cooked to your liking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (about 1 ½ cups)
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 890mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 20g
- Cholesterol: 70mg
