Creamy Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup with Meatballs
This creamy slow cooker vegetable soup with meatballs is comforting, easy, and packed with flavor. Perfect for busy days and family dinners.
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
Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic
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
1. Can I make this with frozen vegetables?
Yes, frozen veggies work great in this recipe. Just add them straight from the freezer—no need to thaw.
2. How do I keep meatballs from falling apart?
Chilling the meatballs before adding them to the hot soup helps them firm up and hold their shape while cooking.
3. Can I blend just half the soup?
Absolutely. For a chunkier texture, blend only half of the soup and mix everything together before adding the meatballs.
4. Storage
- 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
Calories: 324kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 511mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 9364IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Iron: 3mg
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