Description
Italian wedding soup is not about weddings — the name refers to the marriage of meat and greens, which is a poetic way of saying meatballs and escarole in a clear, savory broth. The slow cooker version lets the meatballs cook gently in the broth until they are impossibly tender, and the whole soup develops a depth that stovetop versions rarely achieve. It is light enough for spring and hearty enough for January.
Ingredients
Units
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 large egg
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup acini di pepe or orzo pasta
- 4 cups chopped escarole or baby spinach
- Grated Parmesan for serving
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the ground pork, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, egg, 3 cloves garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Roll into 1-inch meatballs — you should get about 30.
- Place the meatballs in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the chicken broth, onion, carrots, celery, remaining garlic, and bay leaf.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
- During the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir in the acini di pepe pasta and the escarole. Cover and cook until the pasta is tender.
- Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Ladle into bowls and top with grated Parmesan.
Notes
- Small meatballs — no bigger than 1 inch — cook more evenly in the slow cooker and fit better on a spoon with broth and pasta.
- Add the pasta in the last 30 minutes only. If it cooks all day, it absorbs the broth and turns to mush.
- Escarole is traditional and holds up to long cooking better than spinach, which wilts to nothing. Use spinach if you must, but add it in the last 5 minutes.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 360 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 370
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 820
- Fat: 16
- Carbohydrates: 28
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 24
- Cholesterol: 80