Surely you’ve tried Italian Wedding Soup, but have you ever tried Irish Wedding Stew? Instead of meatballs and pasta, this version uses meatballs and potatoes and we believe you’ll absolutely love it!
It was first explained to me in one of my favorite places in the world – when we were nestled in a cabin restaurant in the White Mountains of New Hampshire for my birthday. Our kids were finally getting more adventurous with foods like soups, stews, and broths – and even though it was late July, there was a chill in the air after a long day of sky rides, mountain climbing, and looking for moose. “Irish Wedding Soup,” our waitress said, at the little place we had found to eat a hearty dinner, “it’s like Italian Wedding Soup, but instead of meatballs and pasta, it’s meatballs and potatoes!”
“Aha!” I said. Now that’s a match made in heaven.
It was good, but I think the title was the most memorable part of it, plus the fact that both of my kids gobbled it down. They were only three and six at the time. I thought about how fun it would be to make it into a creamy stew instead of a thinner soup. It’s not July anymore, and we are ready for thicker, hotter, more filling dinners.
Creamy Irish Wedding Stew Recipe
The carrots, potatoes, and celery can cook the longest, and then you can add peppers, or even canned vegetables during the last hour or two of cooking. My kids love corn and I love red bell peppers. The prep time is minimal and the cooking smells AMAZING.
Look at that creamy broth! I used evaporated milk for the broth. I often like to use milk, heavy cream, or half and half in my broths, but they can curdle and not have the right consistency. One 12-ounce can of evaporated milk will be perfect for your outcome.
This creamy, warm, hearty stew is a "marriage" made in heaven - with meatballs and potatoes as the stars of the show. Carrots, spices, celery, and evaporated milk add the right flavors and consistency!
Ingredients
- 20-40 frozen mini meatballs (I used turkey)
- 4 potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced, or 1 bag baby carrots
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 red peppers, cubed
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tbsp parsley flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- 1 can evaporated milk (12 ounces)
- Canned peas and corn (optional)
Instructions
- Prep your vegetables.
- Spray a 4 or 5 quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place meatballs, potatoes, carrots, celery, and garlic in the slow cooker first.
- Add chicken (or beef, vegetable, etc.) broth, water, parsley flakes, salt and pepper.
- Mix gently.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 10-12 hours.
- Add red (bell) peppers during the last two hours of cooking.
- Add evaporated milk and other optional vegetables during the last hour.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Home Chef Tips: I like to cook it overnight for 12 hours because the smell when you wake up might make you eat it for breakfast! If you have a new and hotter slow cooker, you can cook on low for 6-8 hours instead.
You can absolutely make your own meatballs for this recipe (I have!), but they have to be cooked before they are combined with other ingredients in the slow cooker because they will make the stew greasy, and they will fall apart.
I use evaporated milk to thicken the recipe and because it's more stable under heat, rather than heavy cream or half and half.
Then serve it hot and ENJOY!
I could probably eat this Irish Wedding Stew for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with no problem. I even had it as a snack yesterday afternoon. The mornings are getting colder, and the evenings are getting darker faster. I used to struggle more with the changing of early fall into late fall, but having a great stew cooking in the slow cooker can make any gray day seem better. It certainly smells better! You can’t go wrong with meatballs, potatoes, and vegetables, and anything that makes me think of a warm day in New Hampshire in July is a win. Try it and let me know how it goes!
What vegetables would you add to your Creamy Irish Wedding Stew?
We hope you love this Irish Wedding Stew recipe from SoFabFood Contributor, Tamara from Tamara Like Camera, as much as we do. If you love this recipe, be sure to visit our Slow Cooker section for more easy weeknight meal ideas. For daily recipe inspiration, like us on Facebook, follow us on Pinterest, and stop by our Google+ Community to see all of the amazing recipes our community members are sharing. Enjoy!
Comments