Crockpot Mini Turkey Meatball Vegetable Soup
Crockpot Mini Turkey Meatball Vegetable Soup is hearty one-pot meal that’s packed with the good stuff. A gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, whole30 recipe your family will love.
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- ½ cup grated onion from about 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast*
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoons granulated garlic powder
- ⅓ cup almond flour or oat flour
- 2 pounds ground dark meat turkey or ground beef grass-fed if possible
For the Soup
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 2 cups chopped carrots
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 2 cups chopped zucchini
- 1 15-oz can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon salt-free Italian seasoning
- 1-2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1 lemon juiced
- For serving: extra virgin olive oil fresh chopped rosemary
Instructions
- Make the meatballs by combining the grated onion, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic powder, flour, and turkey in a medium bowl. Stir until well combined, being careful not to over-mix. Form into meatballs, about 1 teaspoon each.
- Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, diced tomatoes, chicken stock, Italian seasoning, and salt to a 6-quart slow cooker, stirring to combine.
- Add the meatballs, pressing gently to submerge in the liquid. Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8, or until the vegetables and meatballs are cooked through.
- Uncover, add the spinach, and cook on high for 5 more minutes, or until the spinach is wilted. Add the lemon juice, stirring to combine. Taste and add additional salt if desired.
- Serve with a sprinkle of fresh rosemary and good drizzle of olive oil.
Stovetop Variation
- Make the meatballs per step 1 above.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and pinch of salt and cook until soft, about 5-8 minutes.
- Add the carrots, celery, zucchini, diced tomatoes, chicken stock, Italian seasoning, and salt, stirring to combine.
- Add the meatballs, cover, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer covered, for 25-30 minutes, until the vegetables and meatballs are cooked through.
- Proceed with steps 4-5 above.
Instant Pot Variation
- Make the meatballs per step 1 above.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in an electric pressure cooker set to saute for 8 minutes. Add the onion and pinch of salt and cook until soft.
- Add the carrots, celery, zucchini, diced tomatoes, chicken stock, Italian seasoning, salt and meatballs.
- Secure the lid, select the manual setting, and set it to high pressure for 10 minutes. When the pressure cooker timer is done, quick release the pressure.
- Proceed with step 4 and 5. The spinach should wilt from the heat without adding any additional cook time.
Notes
*Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavor without containing any dairy. Find it on the bulk aisle of your natural foods store, or in the baking section. It adds an essential "cheesy" flavor to the recipe, which makes a difference in the overall flavor. If you can’t find it or don’t want to use it, the meatballs won’t be quite as flavorful but the soup will still be tasty.
Make your own oat flour for this recipe by placing ⅓ cups whole rolled oats in a blender and blending until a coarse flour forms. You can purchase pre-made oat flour at many grocery stores and natural food markets or online. If you are gluten-free be sure to buy oats that are specifically labeled gluten-free.
For a totally different vegetarian twist, substitute 2 cans of drained and rinsed chickpeas for the meatballs.
Deconstruct the soup for resistant eaters by serving the meatballs, veggies and broth separately.
Add crusty bread on the side for people who need a little something extra.
Ground turkey or ground beef work well for the meatballs.
