Roasted Garlic Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup
A French Onion-style spin on a classic Italian Wedding Soup makes for one incredibly satisfying bowl on a cold night. Fortified with hearty beef broth, rotini pasta, and savory meatballs, this soup is a crowd-pleaser every time.
- Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
3 large carrots, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
8 cups beef broth (64 ounces)
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt + 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
½ lb. rotini pasta (about half a bog/box)
Olive oil, for the pan and drizzling
2 lbs. Italian style meatballs (frozen or fresh from the butcher section of your store)
8 cloves garlic, peeled
1 baguette, cut into ¼” thick slices
2.5 cups shredded provolone or mozzarella
OPTIONAL ADD-INS:
½ cup crumbled gorgonzola or blue cheese (optional)
Parmesan cheese rind (optional)
Instructions
To the sleeve of your slow cooker, add the onion, carrots, zucchini, beef broth, oregano, and salt/pepper. If using, tuck in your parmesan rind. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a sheet pan with some olive oil and place your meatballs on the pan. Place the garlic cloves on a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle a little olive oil over top. Wrap up into a little closed foil packet and place on the sheet pan with the meatballs. Roast both the meatballs and garlic packet for 20 minutes.
During the last 20 minutes of the soup’s cook time, add two big ladles full of the soup (veggies and all) into a blender, along with the roasted garlic Blend until smooth, and add back into the crock pot. This will add a little body/extra richness to the soup.
Add the meatballs and rotini and cook for a final 20 minutes or so, just to cook the pasta and warm the meatballs through.
Pre-heat your broiler. Place some oven-proof bowls on a large sheet pan and fill each with some soup. Top each bowl of soup with a few slices of baguette and top with shredded mozzarella and some crumbled gorgonzola (if using). Broil for just a minute or so, until the cheese is melty and gooey and the bread is starting to brown. Serve hot, drizzled with a little extra olive oil.