Gluten Free Italian Wedding Soup

The Best Meatballs For Crock Pot Italian Wedding Soup

I used my bread-crumb free, egg-free meatballs but you can use any pre-made frozen meatballs.

Or make your own meatballs ahead of time and freeze them for even easier prep.

The meatballs can be made with all beef as written or you can lighten it up by substituting ground chicken or ground turkey for the beef.

Why Add Collagen To Your Italian Wedding Soup

The reality is that if you dont have a pre-made broth or bone stock on hand, you may be working with a boxed product or some sort of gluten free bouillon.

The latter option isnt going to give you that added collagen boost that you can get from bone broth.

Even if you make your own bone broth, you still have no idea how much collagen is in each serving. Depending on how long the bones are cooked and a variety of other factors you may not get as much as you think.

Collagen is an integral part of bones, skin, cartilage, and tendons from fowl, mammals, and even fish.

Just in case youre wondering, there are no vegetarian or vegan collagen sources. Any formulas claiming to be vegan arent true collagen, but rather a mixture of micronutrients that are found in or help build collagen in your body. But it is not true collagen.

Hydrolyzed collagen dissolves in liquid without making it thicker . Thats why adding collagen to soup is an incredibly easy way to increase protein of your meal while reaping the benefits simultaneously.

Just a word of caution collagen is not a complete protein. So it shouldnt be used as an alternative to a complete protein powder in protein shakes, for example. You can use it in addition to other protein so that you get a complete amino acid spectrum for your bodys needs.

Fortunately hydrolyzed collagen powder is tasteless so you can add it to nearly anything! Though totally not soup related, I love adding to protein shakes .

Can You Use Frozen Meatballs Instead Of Making Your Own

You sure can! If you don’t want to mess with making homemade meatballs, buy your favorite brand of meatballs in the store. You can use frozen or look for pre-made meatballs in the refrigerator section at your meat market. Both work great in the recipe.

I prefer to make my own because the teeny tiny meatballs traditional to Meatball Soup aren’t available in any freezer section I’ve seen.

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Soup’s On With Gluten Free Italian Wedding Soup With Kale

Soup in less than an hour? Absolutely! This soup isn’t just comforting and filling, it’s also easy and a perfect weeknight meal. The secret is baking the meatballs.

• Pregame! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. This will prevent your meatballs from sticking.

• Add all of your meatball ingredients to a bowl and mix until just combined. Use a 1″-1 ½” scoop to equally portion your meatballs. This will allow them to bake evenly. A tablespoon works great for this.

• While your meatballs are baking prepare the soup base for your Gluten Free Italian Wedding Soup with Kale. Sauté your onions, celery, and carrots until the onions are translucent. Add your white wine, just a splash, and Everyday Herb. Then add everything else except for your pasta.

• You want to pick your favorite small shaped Gluten Free pasta for this recipe. I used orzo. Once your soup has come to a boil and the vegetables are tender add your pasta and allow it to cook in the soup.

• The final step is adding your baked meatballs into the soup, along with verdant fresh dill.

Do you love soup as much as I do? Make sure you check out my recipe for Coconut Cauliflower Sweet Potato Bisque. Now let’s get cooking!

Can I Substitute Other Greens

Absolutely! When it comesto what leafy greens to add to Italian Wedding Soup, it comes down to personalpreference. Our household prefers babyspinach but you may also substitute with escarole, kale or endive.

If you choose to use escarole, kale or endive, you will want toadd them to the soup when you add the pasta because they take longer to cookthan spinach, which wilts almost instantly.

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How To Make This Italian Wedding Soup

Gluten Free Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup Recipe

A new year has arrived and wouldnt you know it, were back to a busy school year!

After such a nice and relaxing break, it was honestly tough to plunge into our hectic family schedule again. And what suffers the most? Our meals. Wanting to keep things simple, delicious and a bit healthier for 2016, Ive been cooking up a delicious twist on a classic family soup.

This Gluten Free Crockpot Italian Wedding Soup is perfect for busy family weeknights, with less work, lots of flavor and warm goodness for the winter months ahead. And you wont want to miss my secret to soup perfection every single time!

Italian Wedding Soup has always been one of my personal favorite soups. A hearty meal within itself, it has the deliciousness of meatballs, veggies and pastaand no one in the family complaining. But you know why I hate making this soup at home?

GROAN

Homemade meatballs. Almost every recipe Ive found calls for homemade meatballs. The mixing, the rolling, the baking and then the soup cooking? Im sorry. This mom doesnt have the time for all of that nonsense when we have baseball season, boy scouts and homework to contend with. So whats my secret to perfect meatballs for Italian Wedding Soup? Farm Rich.

Farm Rich helps me to simplify family meals with wholesome meatballs that I can depend on for a delicious meal every single time. Made with only quality ingredients, I can whip up a quick and tasty soup thats not only good, but Real-Life Good.

Heres the recipe:

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How To Make Italian Wedding Soup With Rice:

Combine all ingredients for the meatballs in a mixing bowl. Use your hands to mash everything together until well-combined .

Form 1 to 2-inch meatballs and set them on a plate.

Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Wait until the oil is very hot before adding the meatballs

Carefully place meatballs in a single layer in the stock pot.

Brown meatballs 1 to 2 minutes, then flip to brown the other side 1 to 2 minutes. .

If desired, drain the pot of any excess fat before continuing.

Pour the chicken broth into the pot with the meatballs, along with the carrots, celery, and white rice. Cover, and bring to a full boil, then immediately decrease heat to a simmer.

Cook covered 15 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through and rice is cooked.

Add the remaining ingredients and replace the cover. Cook until spinach has wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Serve with choice of bread and enjoy!

How To Make Healthy Italian Wedding Soup From Scratch:

Making this Italian Wedding Soup is a little bit of extra work, but I promise its worth it! Most of the work comes from making the baby meatballs.

The key to this soup is to NOT add the spinach/zoodles until youre ready to serve. Otherwise, theyll be soggy!

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I Is For: Italian Wedding Soup

As I type this, theres something called a bomb cyclone going on outside my window and every time the wind howls and spirals snow into the air, it literally sends shivers down my spine.

This is also known as sit on the couch and eat soup while we watch movies all day weather.

What kind of soup, you say? Im so glad you asked.

As I mentioned in my Healthy January post earlier this week, Im currently on a clean eating re-set for the new year. Im avoiding alcohol, dairy, added sugars and most grains.

So when I was brainstorming ideas for the letter I I came across a dish called Italian Wedding Soup. Basically, its a chicken broth-based soup with mini meatballs, a bitter green such as escarole or curly endive, and small pasta such as orzo, pastina or acini de pepe.

Contrary to its name, this soup is not actually eaten at Italian weddings. It actually stems from a term called minestra maritata which literally means married soup, referring to the marriage of greens and broth. Whatever it means, its a marriage thats happily sitting in my belly at the moment.

To healthify this recipe , I am using a blend chicken and Italian chicken sausage instead of beef and pork in the meatballs, and also making them without bread crumbs. I also decided to omit the pasta from this recipe altogether, but feel free to add some in if you dont mind the gluten or carbs.

Ladle into bowls and serve hot.

Stay warm and safe out there, everyone!

To Make The Meatballs:

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Italian Wedding Soup With Rice

Italian Wedding Soup with Rice is a quick and easy recipe that results in a filling, clean dinner and a gluten-free version of the classic recipe. This simple recipe requires just 30 minutes of time, one pot, and only a handful of basic ingredients. Make a big batch to enjoy throughout the week!

Back when I was developing recipes for my cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, I made a grain-free version of Italian Wedding Soup with the intention of including it in the book. At the time, I decided the recipe was too simple for publication.

After sitting on the concept for a over year, I tweaked my original recipe a bit by adding a few goodies like rice and carrots, and came to the conclusion that these simple recipes can really be the most useful in life.

Which brings us to present day. A gluten-free Italian Wedding Soup with rice made in just one pot in 30 minutes!

Traditional Italian Wedding Soup includes meatballs made with a combination of beef, pork, breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese, and sometimes includes orzo pasta or small pasta noodles.

In order to keep the ingredient list short and sweet and also keep the recipe gluten-free and dairy-free, I omit the breadcrumbs and Parmesan from the meatballs and also skip the pasta. Because I do love a good carb, I add white rice.

The result is a soup that takes just around 30 minutes to make and has a refreshing flavor while also being filling.

Lets make a big pot of it, shall we?

Gluten Free Dairy Free

I am so excited about this recipe! It is the first time I have had wedding soup in 9 years. This recipe is simple and easy to make!

Ingredients:

1 package gluten free orzo.

20 gluten free dairy free meatballs, I use the premade meatballs by Cooked Perfect Brand.

Chopped spinach, I use fresh but frozen would work just as well.

1 1/2 cup carrots, diced.

1/2 yellow onion, diced.

1 cup celery, diced.

2 tbsp minced garlic.

6 cups gluten free chicken broth gluten free orzo tends to soak up some of the broth.

Dairy free parmesan.

Enjoy!!

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Comforting Italian Wedding Soup

If I could eat this soup every single night, I would be the happiest person on Earth! My Comforting Italian Wedding Soup is a rich, delicious soup thats sure to satisfy even the pickiest eaters This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and paleo-friendly, so its truly perfect for everyone!

Now, I know what youre thinking youre looking at this recipe and wondering how an Italian Wedding Soup without the cheese can even be considered an Italian Wedding Soup. And Im here to tell you that cheese or no cheese, this recipe is too good to pass up.

Ive been making it for my family non-stop lately, and even after eating it for four days in a row, they still cant get enough. Its one of those soups that has so many different things in it that truly caters to every mood. Craving hearty and filling? Weve got meatballs for that! Or how about carb-y and comforting? The gluten-free orzo will satisfy that craving! Want something vibrant and fresh? This soup is loaded with veggies, like spinach, onion, carrots, and celery. Yum!

Plus, this soup is perfect for meal prepping. You can make the soup and the meatballs ahead of time, and store them in the fridge. Then, when youre ready to eat, simply reheat your soup on the stove or in the microwave, and youve got a comforting cup of Italian Wedding Soup ready within minutes!

Do You Have To Use Pasta

You do not have to use pasta when cooking keto meatball soup. In my recipe, I skip the pasta and use veggies like spinach and zucchini to replace the pasta with wholesome vegetables. It is a lighter version but still packs some incredible taste.

You dont need pasta as a filler when your soup has delicious broth, fresh veggies, and a protein!

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Mini Meatballs That’s Amore

While the meatballs in this Gluten Free Italian Wedding Soup with Kale might be small, they pack a ton of flavor. Alone they are irresistibly poppable, but added to this soup they become something even more.

For this recipe we are using ground chicken as the base for the meatballs. I love using ground chicken not only for the lean protein, but also because it’s quick cooking and a great canvas for flavors.

These meatballs are seasoning with one of my absolute favorite blends, Everyday Herb from Outside Table. This seasoning includes. organic thyme, organic oregano, organic cayenne and chilis for a little warmth, and sea salt among some of its ingredients.

Outside Table creates small batch seasonings and barbecue sauce using fresh organic ingredients. There are no artificial ingredients or preservatives, and their ingredients are regionally sourced. They’re also Dairy Free, Gluten Free, and Soy Free.

In addition to perfuming the meatballs, Everyday Herb is also added to the soup itself. A splash of white wine adds an acidic brightness while fresh dill finishes it off. A colorful rainbow of fresh vegetables including Tuscan kale make this soup both nourishing and hearty.

How To Make Creamy Italian Wedding Soup

Italian Wedding Soup can also be made tantalizingly creamy by adding flour and half and half with cornstarch in place of all chicken broth.

• Cook vegetables with 4 tablespoons butter.
• Sprinkle & frac13 cup flour over the onions and carrots/celery the last minute of cooking and cook for one minute.
• Instead of using all chicken broth, use 6 cups chicken broth and 4 cups half and half mixed with 2 tablespoons cornstarch OR 4 cups heavy cream without the cornstarch.

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What Is Italian Wedding Soup

Italian wedding soup didnt actually get its name from being served at weddings! Rather, it roughly translates to being a marriage of the meat from the meatballs and vegetables and greens in the spinach, carrots, and onions.

This soup is traditionally made with standard meatballs with flour and egg as a binder, spinach, carrots, onions, a small pasta, and is often finished with cheese! This version is made with a gluten-free meatball, grain-free orzo, and is totally dairy-free.

Substitutions For Healthy Italian Wedding Soup

There are lots of substitutions for this Italian wedding soup recipe.

Meat You can use any meat for the meatballs. Chicken or beef will work fine, but we prefer turkey.

Pasta Pasta can be subbed in for zoodles if youd like

Other vegetables You can add in cauliflower rice to this soup if youd like. Feel free to add more carrots, celery or onion.

What can be served with Italian Wedding Soup? This soup is hearty and filling on its own but it also goes great with a loaf of bread, or alongside a sandwich!

Can this Italian wedding soup be frozen? Yes it can! Store your soup in an airtight containers. I love Souper Cubes for freezing soup. Code CLEANEATING10 works to save $$!

When youre ready to eat, defrost the night before by leaving this in the fridge, or take out of the refrigerator and heat over the stove/in the microwave. Separation is normal and ok! Just stir it up.

I would not recommend storing this soup with the zucchini noodles in it. It will also not freeze well with the zucchini noodle added to it. The zucchini noodles absorb water, so its to store them separately if you dont want a mushy mess!

Ive included some important tips below, make sure to read them before making this soup!

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