Vegetarian Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup

Total time4 hr 30 min

Prep time30 min

Cook time4 hr

Vegetarian Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup

This cozy, slow-simmered soup builds tender little meatballs seasoned with garlic, parsley, oregano, and a good hit of Parmesan, all bound together with egg and breadcrumbs for a soft, satisfying bite. They simmer low and slow alongside sweet carrots, celery, onion, and diced tomatoes until the whole pot turns rich and deeply savory. Small pasta soaks up all that flavor toward the end of cooking, and a big handful of fresh spinach gets stirred in right before serving for color and a little vegetal snap. Finished with a generous shower of grated Parmesan, every bowl lands somewhere between brothy comfort food and a full meal. It's an easy hands-off dinner that works beautifully for a vegetarian table, no last-minute fuss required.

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Ingredients

6 servings

For the meatballs

1 lb ground beef (80/20)
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Chef's tip
Pick the form that matches the recipe - a raw, moldable ground for patties, meatballs, or meatloaf; crumbles only for loose browned meat. Cook it in the recipe like the meat, checking doneness against the package guidance.
¼ lb ground pork
Chef's tip
Pick the form that matches the recipe - a raw, moldable ground for patties, meatballs, or meatloaf; crumbles only for loose browned meat. Cook it in the recipe like the meat, checking doneness against the package guidance.
⅓ cup plain breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 large egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

For the soup

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch rounds
3 stalks celery, sliced ¼-inch thick
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Chef's tip
Use the same amount of low-sodium vegetable broth. The dish will be a little lighter in flavor than with chicken broth.
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp dried italian seasoning
½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
1 cup acini di pepe or ditalini pasta, dry
4 cups fresh baby spinach or escarole, roughly chopped

For serving

½ cup grated parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions

1
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan, egg, 2 cloves minced garlic, parsley, oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Mix with your hands until just combined — do not overwork the mixture.
2
Roll the meat mixture into balls about 1 inch in diameter (roughly the size of a large marble) and arrange them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. You should get about 40–45 meatballs.

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