Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

• 1 cup Onion Finely chopped
• 1 cup Carrots Washed, Peeled, Diced
• 1 cup Celery Washed, Diced
• 2-3 cloves Garlic Finely minced
• 7.5 cups Chicken broth Low sodium
• 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Salt To taste
• Pepper To taste
• 1 pound Frozen meatballs Pre-cooked
• 1 cups Acini de pepe pasta Dry, Uncooked – Don’t add more
• 1-1.5 cups Fresh spinach Roughly chopped
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese Freshly grated, For topping

Instructions 

• Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, broth, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper in 6 quart slow cooker and mix everything together.Tip: For deeper flavor, saute onion, carrots, celery, garlic with some butter and oil on stovetop for 4-5 minutes until they are fragrant and then, add them in the crockpot.
• Cover and cook on High heat for 4 hours or Low heat for 8 hours.
• Add meatballs and the acini de pepe pasta in the final 30 minutes and and cook on Low heat for 30 minutes until pasta is cooked through.
• Finally, mix in spinach and immediately, turn off heat. Allow the heat to soften and wilt the spinach (about 1-2 minutes).
• Serve in deep bowls with a generous topping of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Notes

• Read all my tips above.
• Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheated in microwave or stovetop. Additional broth or water will need to be added when reheated since the pasta absorbs a lot of the liquid and can make the soup thick and chunky.

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