Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup

Slow cooker Italian wedding soup is a hearty soup you can serve year-round. This flavorful soup is perfect for family gatherings, cozy evenings, or simple dinner for two. Instructions to make this meatball soup in the Instant Pot are also included in the blog post.

Ingredients For Italian Wedding Soup

• Ground Meat
• Orzo Pasta
• Spinach
• Broth
• Water
• Onion
• Carrots
• Garlic
• Parmesan Cheese
• Egg
• Seasonings: dried parsley, dried oregano, salt, pepper

How To Make Italian Wedding Soup In The Slow Cooker

Prepare The Meatballs

In a large bowl, mix together all the MEATBALLS ingredients until well combined. Shape into into 1 1/2-inch balls.

Slow Cooker

1. Add all the SOUP ingredients to the slow cooker. Stir to mix well.
2.  Add the prepared meatballs to the soup. Stir gently.
3. Cook high 3-4 hours or low 6-8.
4. Stir in the orzo pasta & spinach and cook an additional 15-30 minutes or until the pasta is tender.

Instant Pot

1. Turn on the Instant Pot and select sauté. Once hot add oil to the pot.
2. Add the prepared meatballs and cook until they are browned evenly on all sides. You may need to do this in batches depending on how large your meatballs are. Remove the meatballs.
3. Add carrots and onions and cook for a 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Turn off the pressure cooker.
4. Add broth and water and deglaze the bottom of the pressure cooker by scraping all the bits off with a wooden spoon. Stir in parsley, salt, oregano, and pepper.
5. Add the meatballs back into the soup and stir.
6. Close lid and seal valve. Set HIGH pressure for 20 minutes. When cook time is done, natural release pressure for 5 minutes then manually the remaining pressure. Open lid.
7. Stir in orzo and spinach. Turn pressure cooker to sauté. Cook approximately 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently until pasta is tender.

FAQs & Tips

What Is Italian Wedding Soup?

I always assumed Italian wedding soup was a soup served at Italian weddings. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I learned this was not the case, it’s just a play on words. The term “wedding soup” comes from the Italian language phrase “minestra maritata” (“married soup”), which is a reference to the flavor produced by the combination/”marriage” of greens and the meat. The meat in this case being the meatballs with the greens referring to the spinach.

Fresh or Frozen Meatballs?

The good news is that you can use either fresh or frozen meatballs in this Italian wedding soup recipe. When I use frozen meatballs they are always meatballs that I previously baked myself and froze. Having said that,  store-bought frozen meatballs also work well in this recipe. Note that you can make the meatballs ahead of time. Bake them, freeze them and add them to the soup frozen when you’re ready.

What Type Of Ground Meat To Use?

I left the ingredients for the ground meat vague on purpose. Another great thing about this slow cooker Italian wedding soup is recipe is that you can use the ground meat of your choice without changing the cooking time. What you see in the picture here is ground beef. If you have meatball recipe you want to swap in here, go ahead. If you are looking for an different meatball recipe, check out my herb meatballs.

What is orzo?

Orzo may look like rice but it’s actually pasta! Orzo is a pasta made from white flour that’s cut short to resemble grains of rice. It’s common to see orzo pasta used in soups and pasta salads.  Substitution suggestions for orzo include tiny pasta like acini di pepe, fusilli, or pastina.

Freezing & Storing Leftover Soup

If you have leftover Italian wedding soup, you can store or freeze it for later use. Store leftover soup an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To freeze leftover soup, let the soup cool completely. Once cooled, add the soup to an air tight container, freezer-friendly plastic bag, or souper cubes. Store the soup in your freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat frozen Italian wedding soup you have two options. You can either thaw the soup overnight  in the refrigerator OR add the soup directly to the slow cooker or Instant Pot & thaw on the warm setting!

What size slow cooker should you use?

I used a 6-quart slow cooker or Instant Pot.

Meatball Recipes 

• Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

• Meatball Zoodle Soup

• Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs

• Italian Meatball Dinner

• Zoodles & Meatballs

Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup

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Slow cooker Italian wedding soup is a hearty soup you can serve year-round. This flavorful soup is perfect for family gatherings, cozy evenings, or simple dinner for two. Instructions to make this easy meatball soup in the Instant Pot are also included.

• Author: Shannon Epstein
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 4 hours
• Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Meatballs

• 1 pound lean ground meat of your choice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

SOUP

• 4 cups low-sodium broth of your choice
• 3 cups water
• 2 small carrots, peeled & chopped
• 1/3 cup onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt (or more)
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 3 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 tablespoon oil (for Instant Pot)

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Instructions

Prepare The Meatballs

In a large bowl, mix together all the MEATBALLS ingredients until well combined. Shape into into 1 1/2-inch balls.

Slow Cooker

1. Add all the SOUP ingredients to the slow cooker. Stir to mix well.
2.  Add the prepared meatballs to the soup. Stir gently.
3. Cook high 3-4 hours or low 6-8.
4. Stir in the orzo pasta & spinach and cook an additional 15-30 minutes or until the pasta is tender.

Instant Pot

1. Turn on the Instant Pot and select sauté. Once hot add oil to the pot.
2. Add the prepared meatballs and cook until they are browned evenly on all sides. You may need to do this in batches depending on how large your meatballs are. Remove the meatballs.
3. Add carrots and onions and cook for a 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Turn off the pressure cooker.
4. Add broth and water and deglaze the bottom of the pressure cooker by scraping all the bits off with a wooden spoon. Stir in parsley, salt, oregano, and pepper.
5. Add the meatballs back into the soup and stir.
6. Close lid and seal valve. Set HIGH pressure for 20 minutes. When cook time is done, natural release pressure for 5 minutes then manually the remaining pressure. Open lid.
7. Stir in orzo and spinach. Turn pressure cooker to sauté. Cook approximately 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently until pasta is tender.

Nutrition

• Serving Size:
• Calories: 425
• Sugar: 6.2 g
• Sodium: 631.2 mg
• Fat: 9.3 g
• Saturated Fat: 4.6 g
• Carbohydrates: 45.2 g
• Fiber: 4.3 g
• Protein: 38.8 g
• Cholesterol: 133.4 mg

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