Who doesn’t love a slow cooker meal that’s easy, kid-friendly, healthy AND delicious?
Loaded with vegetables, meatballs and noodles, this soup will chase away the chills on cold, wet winter days. I first found a version of this meatball soup in a magazine when my youngest was a baby starting to feed herself. I LOVED that I could just use slotted spoon to strain out the broth and put a scoop on her high chair tray. She had a full meal of meat, veggies, noodles and kidney beans she could pick up and eat herself, even without many teeth. My bigger kids think meatballs are cool, so it’s a win all around.
Easy & Healthy Meatball Soup
25 frozen fully-cooked meatballs (Whatever kind you like! We love Schwan’s turkey and pork meatballs. Just check the ingredients. If the meatballs are are actually mostly meat, and not fillers, you’ll be happier with the taste.)
1 can (28oz) Diced tomatoes, undrained
3 cups beef broth
1 can kidney beans
1 bag frozen green beans
1 cup water
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley (or throw in some dried – which is what I do!)
Parmesan Cheese, if desired
Directions:
- In a 5 quart slow cooker, combine the first 11 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 5 1/2 to 6 hours or until vegetables are almost tender. (Cut your carrots small to reduce time needed or just cook it on the stove if you are in a hurry!)
- Stir in the macaroni noodles and parsley. Let cook 30 minutes longer.
- Makes about 2 1/2 quarts. (About 10 servings for us.)
- Serve with parmesan cheese, salad & bread, if desired.
Meatball soup reheats well, but doesn’t freeze well because of the noodles. You’ll just need to add some water when reheating as the noodles tend to soak up more than their fair share of liquid.
If you want to really up the comfort factor, pair meatball soup with fresh bread! Try this recipe if you have a bread machine or brown and serve rolls you can find in almost any grocery store. Throw together a salad and you’ll be feeling fancy without the fuss.
Check out more easy crockpot soups and instant pot soups and stews as well! Wintertime is the perfect time to cozy up with comfort in a bowl. Stay warm and healthy, mamas!
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