Cozy up with a bowl of this yummy Crock Pot Italian Wedding Soup ~ you don't have to have all the right ingredients for it to taste good
I. am. cold. wah!
How do I fix that? Make soup, obvi
Problem? Not having any grocery stores open to buy ingredients.
Nope, the grocery stores are all closed here because it's 30 degrees outside and it's raining. So clearly the world is ending...
In all seriousness, I know it's pretty bad out there for a lot of people. But it's really not that bad in New Orleans, especially not compared to everywhere else.
The problem is that we have absolutely no idea {no idea at all} how to drive in below freezing conditions, especially with ice on the streets. Why should we? It never, ever gets cold enough for it to freeze here. Ever.
So I wanted to make Italian Wedding Soup in the slow cooker, but I was limited to what I already had in my kitchen. Luckily, I had almost all of the ingredients needed, so I came up with a really tasty soup that warmed me from inside out.
I based my recipe off this one and thought it turned out well. I skipped the carrots because I'm a ditz and thought I had them in my fridge even though I didn't, and I used kale instead of escarole because that's what I already had. Oh and I left out the pasta because I didn't have any and didn't really think I needed the extra carbs when I've been sitting inside eating chocolate and watching movies all day...
Hope you stay safe and warm!
Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb . lean ground meat {turkey breast lean ground beef, or chicken breast}
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup oats
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Soup
- 4 cups no-salt added chicken or vegetable broth
- 4 cups water
- 1 onion diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups escarole {or kale}
- parmesan cheese for topping if desired
Instructions
Meatballs
- Stir together all the meatball ingredients gently {you don't want to over mix}. Shape them into teaspoon sized balls and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Soup
- Add all of the ingredients except the escarole or kale and parmesan cheese to a slow cooker. Turn on high and cover.
- After 30 minutes, add in meatballs carefully. Cook on High for 5 hours or Low for 7 hours.
- Remove bay leaves. Stir in escarole or kale and let cook for an additional 30 minutes.
- Serve in soup bowls and top with parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!
Amee @ didsomeonesaychocolate.com says
This is one of my favorite kinds of soups. Thanks for sharing! Where I live, we are all prepped for Winter weather and we all know how to drive in it....life goes on...but we are barely getting a drop of rain let alone snow or ice. It's very odd.
Meme says
Thanks! Isn't it funny how something so normal to one state can turn another state's world upside-down? Give us a hurricane and we're {usually} totally ready. Give us ice and we have no idea what to do!
Candi says
I can't even imagine living in that cold of weather. I complain when its in the 60's. I hope it's over for you soon.
Meme says
I know, right?! I am a total baby when it gets under 70 degrees. I am basically covered head to toe in fleece haha. Luckily it's warming up 🙂
Easy Italian Recipes says
Hi! Your Italian wedding soup has been nominated as one of the "Best Italian Wedding Soup Recipes on the Net". To vote for it please visit http://easyitalianrecipes.org/soup-recipes/best-italian-wedding-soup-recipes-on-the-net-vote-for-your-favorite/ (your recipe is positioned at #11).