Crock Pot Wedding Soup: Easy, Hearty, And Delicious

Italian Wedding Soup is a hearty, flavourful dish that is perfect for a cold winter's day. This soup is not actually served at weddings, despite its name. The name comes from the translation of 'Minestra Maritata', which means 'married soup', referring to the marriage of flavours from the vegetables and meat. This soup is typically made with meatballs, pasta, vegetables and broth, and can be made on the stove or in a crock pot.

Meatballs: bake or fry meatballs before adding to the crock pot

Meatballs: Bake or Fry Before Adding to the Crock Pot?

When making wedding soup in a crock pot, you have the option to bake or fry the meatballs before adding them. Here are the detailed instructions for both methods:

Baking Meatballs:

• Preheat your oven to 350-400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a large bowl, combine the meatball ingredients such as ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, onion, milk, egg, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. You can use a spatula or your hands to mix the ingredients thoroughly.
• Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls. The goal is to make them bite-sized, but they will shrink slightly during cooking.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Place a baking rack on top of the sheet pan and arrange the meatballs on the rack.
• Bake the meatballs for 10-20 minutes, until they are browned and have a crispy exterior. Use a meat thermometer to ensure they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Frying Meatballs:

• Heat a large shallow skillet over medium-high heat and add vegetable oil or shortening.
• Fry the meatballs in batches, being careful not to crowd the skillet. Fry each batch for about 5-7 minutes, until they are browned on all sides.
• Use a meat thermometer to ensure the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Frying the meatballs will add fond (brown remnants) to the bottom of the pan, which can be worked into the soup broth to enhance the flavor and add texture to the outside of the meatballs.

Baking and frying are both valid options, and you can choose the method that best suits your preferences and time constraints. Once the meatballs are cooked, you can add them directly to the crock pot with the other soup ingredients.

Vegetables: add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic to the pot

Vegetables are a key part of any soup, and this is especially true for Italian wedding soup. The vegetables you'll want to add to your pot are onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. These vegetables will form the base of your soup and provide a depth of flavor that is essential to this dish.

To prepare your vegetables, start by dicing your onion into small pieces. You'll want to end up with about half a cup to a cup of diced onion, depending on how much you like onions. Next, peel and chop your carrots. Again, you'll want these to be fairly small and uniform in size so they cook evenly. Do the same with the celery—dice it into small, even pieces. Finally, mince your garlic cloves. You'll likely want to use around two to three cloves, but you can adjust this amount to your taste.

Once you have all your vegetables prepared, you can add them to your crock pot. If you want to build even more flavor, you can sauté the vegetables in some butter and oil on the stovetop for four to five minutes before adding them to the crock pot. This step is optional but will add a deeper flavor to your soup.

After you've added your vegetables to the crock pot, it's time to move on to the next steps of the recipe. This usually involves adding broth, seasonings, and meatballs, if you're including them. Be sure to follow the rest of your recipe carefully to create a delicious and hearty Italian wedding soup!

Broth: add chicken broth and bring to a boil

Now that you've got your ingredients ready, it's time to start making your soup!

Add your chicken broth to your crock pot. If you're using a stovetop, turn the heat up to high and bring the broth to a boil. This should take around 10 minutes, depending on your stove. If you're using a crock pot, set it to high heat and let the broth heat up—this will take longer than on a stovetop, so be patient!

Once your broth is bubbling away merrily, it's time to reduce the heat and get ready to add the rest of your ingredients.

Add Meatballs and Simmer

Gently place your prepared meatballs into the bubbling broth. Be careful not to splash yourself! Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. This will ensure your meatballs cook through without burning on the outside.

Let your soup simmer gently for around 10 minutes. This will ensure your meatballs are cooked through and give your broth time to absorb all the delicious flavours from the meat.

Add Pasta and Spinach

Now it's time to add your pasta. Stir it through the soup gently, ensuring it's covered by the broth. You don't want to add your pasta too early, or it will absorb too much liquid and become mushy.

Finally, add your spinach. This only needs a couple of minutes to wilt, so add it right at the end. Stir it through the soup, and it will quickly soften in the hot broth.

Your Italian Wedding Soup is now ready to serve! Ladle it into bowls and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy your delicious, hearty soup!

Pasta: add orzo, acini di pepe, or ditalini pasta

When it comes to making wedding soup in a crock pot, you can add orzo, acini di pepe, or ditalini pasta. These small pasta varieties work well in this soup and can be added towards the end of the cooking process. For example, if you are cooking your soup on a low heat setting, you should add the pasta in the final 30 minutes of cooking.

If you are looking to make a bulk amount of soup to freeze, it is best to cook the pasta separately and add it to the serving bowls before ladling the soup on top. This will ensure that the pasta does not absorb all the broth during storage.

Additionally, if you are planning on freezing the soup, it is recommended to store the pasta separately as it does not freeze well.

Spinach: add spinach to the pot and cook until wilted

Once you've added the spinach to the crock pot, it will need to cook for a short time until it is wilted. This should take around 2 minutes on the stove top, or 3 minutes in the crock pot. If you are using a slow cooker, you can simply add the spinach and turn off the heat, allowing the residual heat to wilt the spinach.

If you are using frozen spinach, be sure to thaw and drain it first.

Frequently asked questions