Slow Cooker Italian Meatball Soup
This slow cooker Italian meatball soup can also be made on a stove top. For a thicker, heartier soup, omit the water in this recipe.
This slow cooker Italian meatball soup can also be made on a stove top. For a thicker, heartier soup, omit the water in this recipe.
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 medium carrots diced small
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 2 small
- 1 small onion diced small
- 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
- 16 ounces (2 liquid cups) organic beef stock
- 12 ounces (1.5 liquid cups) water
- 1 pound cooked cocktail size italian meatballs
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or to your taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or to your taste)
- Carbohydrate 15.8143785912189 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 1.09982960208151 g
- Fiber 3.93328267007425 g
- Protein 3.07084183441092 g
- Saturated Fat 0.169812443154398 g
- Serving Size 1 1 cup (389g)
- Sodium 195.444312291515 mg
- Sugar 11.8810959211447 g
- Trans Fat 0.169958047222224 g
- Calories 74 calories
Step-by-step
- Add all ingredients except oil into a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir well to combine. Cover and heat on low for 4-5 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Add oil to a medium, heavy bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add carrots, onion and celery. Cook over medium heat 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften, stirring occasionally. Push the vegetables aside to one side of the pan. Add tomato paste; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until tomato paste begins to caramelize.
- Add garlic and seasonings. Mix well. Stir in tomatoes and stock, and bring to a simmer. Cut meatballs in half and add to soup. Simmer an additional 10 to 12 minutes; season to taste with salt and pepper.
Caramelizing tomato paste before adding liquids transforms a flat, metallic canned tomato base into a deep, savory foundation through the Maillard reaction. Raw tomato paste contains natural sugars and amino acids that brown and develop complex pyrazines when exposed to direct heat in olive oil for one to two minutes. Dicing carrots, onions, and celery to uniform small cubes ensures they soften evenly within four to five minutes over medium heat without burning the garlic added subsequently.
Simmering crushed tomatoes with beef stock creates an acidic environment that breaks down tough connective tissues while allowing volatile aromatic compounds from dried oregano and thyme to bind with food lipids. Fat molecules trap herbs' essential oils, distributing them evenly across the palate rather than letting them evaporate immediately into the steam.
Adapting this preparation between a slow cooker and a stovetop pot requires careful attention to liquid ratios and equipment heat capacity. A six-quart slow cooker maintains a steady, low thermal output over four to five hours, whereas a heavy-bottomed soup pot on the stove conducts heat rapidly from the base, requiring frequent stirring to prevent scorching the bottom sediments.
Adjusting the water quantity alters the final viscosity significantly, allowing cooks to control the broth-to-solid ratio depending on whether pre-cooked or raw meatballs are utilized. Salt should always be incorporated incrementally near the end of cooking because reduction concentrates sodium levels as water evaporates from the bubbling pot.
