Slow cooker vegetable soup is the kind of comforting dinner you turn to when life gets busy, and your family still expects something homemade and delicious. This creamy version, loaded with hearty vegetables and tender meatballs, takes just minutes to prep and tastes like it simmered all day—because it did!
It’s cozy, flavorful, and so easy that it practically cooks itself. Serve it as a weekday dinner, a Sunday lunch, or as a starter at a winter gathering. You’ll love how rich and velvety it is, with those juicy meatballs adding that extra bite.
Velvety Vegetable Soup from the Slow Cooker with Meatballs
This soup has become a classic at our house. I still remember the first time I made it on a cold afternoon. I threw in what veggies I had in the fridge, mixed up a few meatballs, and went about my day. That evening, the house smelled wonderful, and the kids cleaned their bowls without a single complaint (a rare feat).
From that day on, it earned a fixed spot in my slow cooker rotation. It’s everything you want in a vegetable soup: comforting, nourishing, and full of flavor—without the fuss.
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📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- ⅔ pound ground beef
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
For the soup
- 4 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 cups butternut squash, cubed
- ½ cauliflower, cut into large florets
- 1 leek, white and light green part only, sliced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, sliced
- 2 potatoes, starchy, peeled and cubed
- 6 cups chicken stock, homemade or good-quality
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- ½ cup heavy cream
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
Prepare the meatballs
- In a bowl, mix all meatball ingredients until well combined. Roll into teaspoon-sized balls. Cover and refrigerate while the soup cooks.⅔ pound ground beef, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon mustard, 1 tablespoon Fresh Parsley
Cook the soup
- Add carrots, squash, cauliflower, leek, onion, garlic, potatoes, chicken stock, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and thyme to the slow cooker.4 carrots, 2 cups butternut squash, ½ cauliflower, 1 leek, 1 onion, 1 clove garlic, 2 potatoes, 6 cups chicken stock, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig fresh thyme
- Set on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, or until the vegetables are fork-tender.
- Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprig.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth and creamy.
- Add the chilled meatballs to the soup and continue cooking on LOW for another 45 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.
- Stir in the cream just before serving.½ cup heavy cream
Notes
- Refrigerator: Let the soup cool and store in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Let the soup cool completely, divide over freezer containers and store for up to 3 months. Before reheating, let it defrost in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
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