Slow Cooker Italian Sausage Meatball Soup
Slow Cooker Italian Sausage Meatball Soup is a hearty and fulfilling meal that is the ideal winter delicacy. The meatballs are made with ground Italian sausage, bread crumbs, eggs, and spices, simmered in a flavorful broth comprising chicken broth, tomato paste, and garlic. The soup is finished with pasta and spinach.
Slow Cooker Italian Sausage Meatball Soup is a hearty and fulfilling meal that is the ideal winter delicacy. The meatballs are made with ground Italian sausage, bread crumbs, eggs, and spices, simmered in a flavorful broth comprising chicken broth, tomato paste, and garlic. The soup is finished with pasta and spinach.
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 egg
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 pound ground italian sausage (i used extra hot)
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- soup ingredients:
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup mini pasta (i used ditalini)
- 10 ounces baby spinach
- Carbohydrate 9.57261363949831 g
- Cholesterol 29.6791834342555 mg
- Fat 13.7578415494431 g
- Fiber 1.12988980411952 g
- Protein 11.2622593199957 g
- Saturated Fat 4.56215910446408 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (694g)
- Sodium 3011.60594874987 mg
- Sugar 8.44272383537879 g
- Trans Fat 1.79466650118307 g
- Calories 205 calories
Step-by-step
- Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine meatball ingredients.
- Pinch off a small portion of the mixture to create 1 inch meatballs.
- Roll in your hands, then transfer to your baking sheet. Meatballs can sit close together, just not touching.
- Continue process. If preparing meatballs ahead; cover baking sheet with plastic wrap to store overnight in the fridge.
- When ready to proceed, bake meatballs at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Add chicken broth, tomato paste, garlic, seasonings and meatballs to slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours.
- Add pasta and spinach, cook 30 minutes more.
- Divide among bowls. Enjoy.
Raw ground sausage holds enough natural fat that omitting the binding step results in disintegrating bits rather than cohesive spheres. Incorporating seasoned bread crumbs, milk, and eggs creates a panada that retains moisture during the initial ten-minute bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pre-baking renders excess pork fat before the components enter the liquid, preventing an oily sheen from coating the surface of the broth. Shaping uniform one-inch portions ensures every sphere cooks evenly without toughening the exterior protein.
Batch freezing requires strategic staging to preserve structural integrity during the eventual thaw. Storing the prepared base of broth, tomatoes, and cooked meatballs independently from the dry pasta prevents the starches from swelling into a mushy consistency over months in the freezer. Thaw frozen portions overnight in the refrigerator before transferring them to a saucepan. Reheating should occur gently over medium-low heat until simmering, ensuring the center reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit without scorching the dairy solids from the Parmesan cheese.
Mini pasta shapes like ditalini absorb liquid rapidly once introduced to simmering environments. Adding the pasta and baby spinach during the final thirty minutes prevents the tubular grains from dissolving into paste while allowing the greens to wilt down completely. Fresh spinach can easily swap for frozen leaf spinach at a one-to-one volumetric ratio, provided the frozen alternative undergoes thorough thawing and manual squeezing to eliminate excess water content that would otherwise dilute the seasoning.
Standard slow cookers operate at varying wattage levels, which directly impacts how long the chicken broth and aromatics take to meld. Operating the appliance on the low setting for four hours or high for two hours yields identical extraction of garlic and herb compounds into the liquid base. Kitchens lacking a programmable slow cooker can achieve the exact same simmer inside a heavy cast-iron Dutch oven placed inside a 300 degree oven for the identical duration.
