Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Meatball Stew

I try very hard to keep meal prep really easy on days when Michael goes into work (most days he can telecommute, but sometimes he has to go in, and when that happens, he isn't home until 8pm or later), or when we've got something to do after he's done working.  With my hands, I have a very hard time with opening containers and with cutting some things - so if he's gone, anything like that could totally derail meal prep until he's home to do it for me.

On days when the evening is going to be busy, that means hauling out the slow cooker, so all the prep can happen in the morning, and eating can happen whenever we're ready for it.



This was one of those meals - we needed to grocery shop, and I was needing to use up some root veggies that had been sitting around for awhile.  If I'd had onions, they've have gone into this, but I didn't, and it still tasted just fine.  Use whatever veggies you have on hand, and whatever ground meat you have on hand.  This isn't the sort of thing that you should get fussy or particular about.

Also, whether you regard this as a thick and hearty soup or a stew depends on your outlook - since I did nothing to thicken the broth, I sort of think it's a soup, but with strong stewlike tendencies.

Clean Out the Larder Meatball Stew/Soup (Slowcooker)
(serves 4)

1 lb ground meat (I used pork)
seasoning blend of choice (I used a chorizo sausage blend from Spice House, which gave the meatballs a nice piquant flavor)
2 T. apple cider vinegar
Root Veggies as desired - mine were 3 red potatoes, 2 sweet potatoes and 3 carrots
Other veggies as available - I added a couple stalks of celery, chopped.  Onions and mushrooms would have been great if I'd had them.
Salt and pepper to taste
Broth to cover (about 2 cups)

Combine ground meat with seasoning of choice and apple cider vinegar.  Blend well with hands, and form into meatballs about 1" wide.  Set balls into a baking dish and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, until well browned and mostly cooked.

While the meatballs are cooking, chop all your veggies and put into the slow cooker.  Once the meatballs are cooked, add them to the slow cooker on top of the pot.  Scrape off whatever fat and cooked bits are in the pan and add those to the slow cooker, too.  Pour broth over all, making sure veggies are covered.

Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours, or start on high for an hour or two and then turn down until low for a couple more hours, or until ready to eat.

We had this with grain-free coconut flour biscuits after we got home from shopping.  We probably would have bought less if we'd eaten before we shopped, though! (How many times will I need to learn that lesson??)

Shared with: 
Allergy-Free Wednesday, Creative Spark, Down Home Blog Hop, Fluster's Creative Muster Party, Frugal Days Sustainable Ways, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Healthy 2Day Wednesday, Natural Living Link Up, Party Wave Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Seasonal Celebration Wednesday, Show & Tell Wednesday, Tasty Traditions, Two Girls & a Party, Wednesday Fresh Foods, Wellness Wednesday, What's Cooking Wednesday, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Wheat-Free Wednesday, Whimsy Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Wicked Awesome Wednesday, Wonderful Food Wednesday, Works For Me Wednesday, Wow Me Wednesday.   
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Anti-Procrastination Tuesday, Backyard Farming Connection Hop, Family Table Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Hearth & Soul Hop, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Tackle the Menu Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday Greens, Time to Sparkle, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Scratch Cooking Tuesday, You're Gonna Love It Tuesday.       




22 comments:

  1. Mmmm, Lynda, that sounds really good. ACV in the meatballs? I never heard of such a thing... so very intriguing!
    Thanks for stopping by my blog today - I enjoyed the prompt to come by here for a visit.

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    1. The ACV brings out the flavors of the chorizo seasoning blend - I'm honestly not sure if it would do the same for other seasonings, but it gives it a 'brighter' flavor. :)

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  2. Meatball soup is one of my kids favorite meals as well! I would love for you to share this at what i am eating http://www.townsend-house.com/2013/04/what-i-am-eating.html

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  3. We love soup. Will have to try this.

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  4. What a wonderful name for a blog! So glad you joined us for Foodie Friday this week. Your soup looks fantastic!

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  5. Thanks for sharing this recipe! I'm all about easy prep too :)

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  6. I love slow cooker meal ideas and this one sounds great.

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  7. A great idea and one I'm sure everyone will be trying!

    Thanks so much for joining in this week1

    xo
    Claudia

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  8. Always happy to have another slow cooker recipe ~ thanks! I am your newest follower.

    Big Hugs,
    Susan and Bentley

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  9. I make a soup with meatball so I think my kids will be open to your stew. Thanks for sharing it with us on foodie friday.

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  10. Yum! Found you on A Favorite Thing and I'd love to have you stop by and share your post on The Creative HomeAcre Hop today!
    http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/04/the-creative-homeacre-10.html

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  11. slow cooked meatball soup/stew is a great answer to busy schedules. something i've learned in the last 6 months since moving from Vic to Toronto (lifestyle shift included) is that having easy, go-to meals for busy days is a must. This is one of those :)


    thank you so much for sharing your post with us at the Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up! I hope to see you again next week with more seasonal & real food posts. xo, kristy

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  12. Your recipe is awesome and thank you so much for sharing it at the table with Full Plate Thursday.
    Hope to see you again soon!
    Miz Helen

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  13. Hi! This looks great! I love soup and love using my crock pot. Going to give this a try. Found you on Sincerely, Paula weekend blog hop. Now following via GFC.

    Jackie @ The Non-Martha Momma

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  14. Sounds brilliant, especially in Autumn & Winter. Thanks for linking up with Eat. Pray. Love :)

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  15. Love this idea :) I would love it if you'd stop by my linky party called The Gathering Spot and share this delicious recipe :) http://mamaldiane.com/the-gathering-spot-47/

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  16. One of the beautiful things about soup is the flavor can be determined by what you have on hand so it's never dull. Thanks for sharing on Hearth & Soul Hop. :)

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  17. What a yummy dinner option for the slow cooker. Thanks for sharing over on Tuesday Greens!

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  18. Looks yummy and I love that you made it in the slower cooker. I love slow cooker meals, just makes life easier! ;)

    Thanks so much for linking up to the "Making Your Home Sing Monday" linky party today! :)

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  19. Love how simple this recipe is. Simple always tastes better! Love the low prep! :) Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! :)

    The party starts tonight! Can't wait to see what you bring this week!

    Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com

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  20. Thank you so much for sharing this on The Creative HomeAcre Hop! I hope to see you again tomorrow. :)
    http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/04/creativehomeacre11.html

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  21. This sounds delicious! And so easy... Thanks so much for posting the recipe.

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