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This Italian Wedding Soup recipe is the perfect one pot meal. Hearty and balanced with turkey meatballs, vegetables and noodles.
Everything you need to know to make Crockpot Italian Wedding Soup
- Tips and Recommendations
- About the Ingredients
- How to make Turkey Meatball Wedding Soup
- Storage Recommendations
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The Recipe
- Similar Recipes You Might Want to Try
Casandra’s Tips and Recommendations for Making the Recipe
This Crockpot Italian Wedding Soup recipe is the perfect one pot meal. Our family has big appetites and this is one of the only meals that I serve nothing along aside of it. It has all of the meat, veggies and pasta right in there and it’s filling and satisfying completely on its own. (Of course I would never discourage a side of bread but if you’re trying to keep it simple, the soup is plenty.)
Using frozen meatballs keeps this recipe quick and simple. It’s really is a dump and go method rather than nuanced cooking which I’ve come to appreciate as kids schedules get busier. You definitely could kick this soup up a notch by making your own meatballs but that takes time.
If I make my own meatballs for soup, I make them in advance. I tend to make them the night before I plan to make the soup but you could even make them on the weekend and use them in the soup for a weeknight meal later in the week.
About the Ingredients
Turkey meatballs – I like to use frozen meatballs because they are so convenient. They come fully cooked and just get added to the pot with no extra work at all. Using frozen meatballs will save nearly an hour of prep time. If you’ve got the time though fresh meatballs are wonderful too. Be sure to cook them on a baking sheet in the oven before adding them to soup.
Vegetables – onion, celery, carrots and baby spinach. The classic soup trio gets sautéed before adding the broth. The spinach will be added just before serving. Spinach always looks like a lot before it’s wilted but trust the recipe. Don’t cut back on the 5oz.
White wine – a dry white wine or whatever you have on hand is perfect. The alcohol will be cooked off and the subtle flavor will just bring out the earthy flavor of the vegetables.
Chicken stock – buying chicken stock in bulk and keeping it in the pantry is definitely the cheapest way to do it during soup season. This Kirkland chicken stock is bargain and is good quality.
Seasonings – salt and pepper.
Pasta – a small shape like elbows or ditalini are perfect for Italian wedding Soup. The meatballs are big bites so no need to compete with a big noodle.
Cheese – grated parmesan for serving.
How to Make Italian Wedding Soup
Sauté the Vegetables
Carrots, celery and onion are the classic soup trio. Begin by sautéing them until they soften. To do this I put my crockpot insert right on the stove and use it like any other pot. Not all inserts are safe for this though so check the recipe notes if you’re not sure if your insert is safe. After the veggies are soft, pour in the wine and let it simmer off. This will cook off the alcohol but leave a nice deep flavor.
Make the Broth and Cook
When the wine has reduced, move the pot back to the slow cooker. Pour in the chicken stock, add the frozen meatballs and season with salt and pepper. Set the slow cooker to cook on low for 4 hours.
Boil the Pasta
Cook the pasta separately from the soup. Adding the dry pasta to the soup will absorb too much of the delicious broth. I also like to keep the starch that releases from the pasta in the cooking water and not in the soup. When the pasta is cooked to al dente, add the noodles and the baby spinach to the slow cooker. The spinach will need just a minute or 2 to wilt and then the soup is ready to serve.
Serving Crockpot Italian Wedding Soup
Ladle the soup into bowls being sure to give everyone at least 3 meatballs. Grate a little fresh parmesan over the top of each individual bowl and dig in.
Storage Recommendations
Storing soup with pasta in it is a little tricky. As the pasta sits in the liquid it will get mushy quickly. If you’re going to store Italian Wedding Soup it’s best to do it without the noodles.
If I know there’s a chance I might have leftover soup after dinner I actually don’t add the noodles to the crockpot at all. Serve the soup by placing a spoonful of past in the bottom of each person’s individual bowl. Then ladle over the soup. This keeps the pasta separate from the soup that will get stored.
Store Crockpot Italian Wedding Soup without the pasta in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Meatballs, vegetables, pasta, clear broth and wilted spinach. It’s also typically served with parmesan cheese on top or mixed in.
The name is referring to the marriage of meat and vegetables and the coming together of the flavors.
A small shape like elbows or ditalini are perfect for Italian wedding Soup. The meatballs are big bites so no need to compete with a big noodle.
For crockpot soup, yes. Store bought frozen meatballs are already cooked so they will warm up in the soup and also add flavor to the broth as it cooks.
The Recipe For Crockpot Italian Wedding Soup
The recipe is attached below for easy downloading and printing. If you test it out be sure to leave a note in the comments below. I’d love to hear what you thought and if you have a favorite frozen meatball brand. Enjoy!
Crockpot Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 carrots sliced in coins
- 3 celery stalks diced
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 lb frozen turkey meatballs
- salt and pepper to taste
- 5 oz baby spinach
- 8 oz elbow pasta
- grated parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Sauté 1 onion, 2 carrots, and 3 celery stalks in the crockpot insert.
- Pour in 1/4 cup white wine and simmer for 3 minutes until wine is reduced by at least half.
- Transfer insert to the crockpot cooker. Add 6 cups chicken stock, 1 lb frozen turkey meatballs, salt and pepper. Set cooker to cook on low for 4 hours.
- After 4 hours stir in 5 oz baby spinach and let it wilt down for about 2 minutes. Or until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, prepare 8 oz elbow pasta according to the package directions.
- Place a heaping spoonful of pasta noodles in the bottom of each bowl. Pour one ladle full of soup from the crockpot over each bowl of pasta and serve with a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
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