A meatball soup lives or dies on two things: meatballs that taste like meatballs - browned, seasoned, holding together - and a broth rich enough to deserve them. The slow cooker handles the second beautifully and, with one short skillet step first, does not have to compromise the first. What comes out is the bowl in the photograph: a deep red tomato broth crowded with browned meatballs, little tubes of pasta, carrots and potatoes, and a drift of cheese melting over the top.
The browning step is the one place this recipe refuses the usual dump-and-go shortcut, and it is worth the ten minutes. Raw meatballs simmered from cold give up their fat to the broth and stay pale and soft; browned meatballs keep their shape, taste roasted rather than boiled, and leave the broth clean. Our slow cooker lasagna soup works on the same principle - brown first, then let the cooker take over.
The pasta cooks separately and is stirred in at the end, which keeps it toothsome instead of swollen and keeps leftovers from turning to porridge overnight. Serve the soup in wide bowls with garlic toast balanced on the rim, as pictured, for wiping the bowl clean. The rest of our Slow Cooker & Casseroles collection is built for the same kind of evening.
Small meatballs, browned hard
Roll the meatballs small - about 1 tablespoon each - so a spoon can carry one whole with broth and pasta around it. Chill the rolled meatballs for 10 minutes before browning and they hold their shape in the pan. Brown them in two uncrowded batches over medium-high heat, turning once or twice; you are building a crust and a layer of flavour in the pan, not cooking them through. The slow cooker finishes that job gently, in the broth, where they stay juicy.
Pasta last, cheese at the table
Ditalini is the pasta in the photograph - short little tubes that match the diced vegetables spoon for spoon - but small shells or elbow macaroni behave identically. Cook whichever you use in well-salted water until just shy of done, drain, and stir it into the hot soup off the heat. The cheese - shredded mozzarella or provolone, with Parmesan if you keep it - goes over each bowl individually, never into the pot, so it melts in strands over the meatballs instead of clumping in the broth.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef, 85% lean (450 g)
- 1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs (55 g)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (25 g)
- 1 large egg (50 g)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (6 g), plus 2 more for the broth
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (2 g)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided (6 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (2 g)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (30 ml)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced (150 g)
- 2 medium carrots, diced (160 g)
- 2 medium potatoes, diced (300 g)
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes (794 g)
- 4 cups beef stock (960 ml)
- 1 cup ditalini pasta (140 g)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (115 g), to serve
- 8 fresh basil leaves, to serve
Amounts are for the yield below. US customary measures first, grams in brackets for scale users.
Step-by-step instructions
- Mix and roll the meatballs. Combine the beef, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, egg, the first 2 minced garlic cloves, Italian seasoning, half the salt and the pepper. Mix with your hands just until combined - overworking makes dense meatballs. Roll into about 24 small meatballs, roughly 1 tablespoon each, and chill for 10 minutes.
- Brown the meatballs. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs in two batches for 4 to 5 minutes, turning until crusted on most sides. They will finish cooking in the soup. Lift them into the slow cooker, leaving the drippings behind.
- Load the cooker. Add the onion, carrots, potatoes, crushed tomatoes, beef stock, the remaining garlic and salt to the slow cooker with the meatballs. Stir gently so nothing is crushed, cover, and cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 3 hours, until the vegetables are tender.
- Cook the pasta separately. About 25 minutes before serving, cook the ditalini in a pot of well-salted boiling water until just shy of al dente, following the package timing minus 1 minute. Drain well - pasta water clouds this broth, so do not reserve it here.
- Combine and rest. Stir the drained pasta into the soup, cover, and let it stand on WARM for 10 minutes so the pasta drinks a little broth and finishes cooking. Taste and adjust the salt; the broth should be rich, tomatoey and just thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Serve with cheese and basil. Ladle into wide bowls - the yellow bowl in the photograph shows the colour contrast beautifully - and top each with shredded mozzarella so it melts in strands over the meatballs. Tear over the basil, and serve with garlic toast on the rim for dunking and wiping the bowl.
Nutrition estimate
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 438 kcal |
| Protein | 27 g |
| Carbohydrates | 36 g |
| Fat | 20 g |
| Saturated fat | 8 g |
| Sodium | 890 mg |
| Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
Nutrition figures are estimates calculated from standard ingredient data for the yield stated. Your actual values will vary with brands, substitutions and portion sizes — treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.
Storage & reheating
The soup keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and freezes well for up to 3 months if the pasta is left out - freeze the soup base, then add freshly cooked pasta when reheating for the best texture. Reheat gently on the stove until steaming; the meatballs dry out if the soup is boiled hard. Nutrition values are estimates and will vary with the beef's fat content and cheese used.
Slow Cooker Italian Meatball Soup
Browned meatballs, little pasta and vegetables in a rich tomato broth - the cooker does the simmering.
Ingredients
Tick ingredients off as you prep, and tap a step below to mark it done as you cook. Scaling adjusts the listed amounts - seasoning to taste stays your call.
Instructions
- Mix and roll the meatballs. Combine the beef, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, egg, the first 2 minced garlic cloves, Italian seasoning, half the salt and the pepper. Mix with your hands just until combined - overworking makes dense meatballs. Roll into about 24 small meatballs, roughly 1 tablespoon each, and chill for 10 minutes.
- Brown the meatballs. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs in two batches for 4 to 5 minutes, turning until crusted on most sides. They will finish cooking in the soup. Lift them into the slow cooker, leaving the drippings behind.
- Load the cooker. Add the onion, carrots, potatoes, crushed tomatoes, beef stock, the remaining garlic and salt to the slow cooker with the meatballs. Stir gently so nothing is crushed, cover, and cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 3 hours, until the vegetables are tender.
- Cook the pasta separately. About 25 minutes before serving, cook the ditalini in a pot of well-salted boiling water until just shy of al dente, following the package timing minus 1 minute. Drain well - pasta water clouds this broth, so do not reserve it here.
- Combine and rest. Stir the drained pasta into the soup, cover, and let it stand on WARM for 10 minutes so the pasta drinks a little broth and finishes cooking. Taste and adjust the salt; the broth should be rich, tomatoey and just thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Serve with cheese and basil. Ladle into wide bowls - the yellow bowl in the photograph shows the colour contrast beautifully - and top each with shredded mozzarella so it melts in strands over the meatballs. Tear over the basil, and serve with garlic toast on the rim for dunking and wiping the bowl.
Recipe by Ahsan ul Haq · FryDaily. Printing? This card is designed to print cleanly on its own.
