Slow Cooker Spiced Meatball Stew

This fragrant spiced meatball stew is perfect for your cold-weather comfort food cravings.

The winter calls for warm comfort food! This recipe was inspired by a batch of homemade turkey meatballs. Rather than the routine plate of spaghetti and meatballs or meatball sub – I wanted something different. In true slow cooker season fashion this Spiced Meatball Stew Recipe was came into existence.

As I usually suggest, feel free to modify the recipe to your tastes. After all a stew is a great meal to toss in all kinds of veggies, spices, and anything else you may need to use up. In other words, don’t be afraid to experiment!

Slow Cooker Spiced Meatball Stew

• Begin by making a roux for the base of your stew. Heat up coconut oil using the sauté function on your Instant Pot. Add flour, and stir constantly until the roux darkens to a caramel color.
• Add garlic, onions, green peppers, and celery to the roux.

• Cook until the roux returns to a boil.

• Reset the sauté function to low and add salt, white cooking wine, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, and allow to simmer for 5-6 minutes.

•  Place the meatballs, grape tomatoes, carrots, butter beans, water and about half of the chicken stock to the Instant Pot.

• Add red pepper flakes, cayenne, turmeric, coriander, black pepper, rosemary, sage, thyme, nutmeg, ginger, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste, into the Instant Pot.

No, that is not a doughnut on top of the ingredients. I made a huge batch of turkey stock (thank you Thanksgiving) flavor bombs and ran out of muffin pans so I opted for the doughnut pan. This is totally optional, as I mentioned before experiment!

• Pour the remaining chicken stock over the ingredients and stir well. Allow the stew to slow cook for 6-8 hours on normal mode.

Recommendation: I highly recommend an Instant Pot if you are on the lookout for a ‘more than just a slow cooker’ appliance. It is extremely versatile and convenient. The prices vary as there are different models available.

• Stir well before serving and garnish with parsley and basil.

Serving Suggestion: This stew is great alone but feel free to serve it with mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, cassava (yucca), over rice, pasta, or even bread. I went with mashed potatoes because yum.

Tips:

• If you prefer a thicker stew, create a cornstarch slurry by mixing ¼ cup water and 1 tbsp cornstarch. This can be mixed in a small cup and added towards the end of cooking. Stir well and allow it to thicken for 10 minutes. Do not add cornstarch alone as it will taste raw and not incorporate well.
• If you are able to adjust your slow cookers steam release consider the following…

Venting will yield a more hearty/thicker stew. Sealing (most common) will yield a less viscous stew.

• To cut down prep time, prepare the roux mixture  the night before and refrigerated until ready to slow cook.
• Feel free to use packaged frozen meatballs in this recipe; just assure that they are fully cooked.

Slow Cooker Spiced Meatball Stew Recipe

This fragrant spiced meatball stew is perfect for your cold-weather slow cooker comfort food cravings.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 hours hrs

Total Time 8 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Stew

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  

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• 24 - 30 meatballs fully-cooked
• 1 can of butter beans drained
• 1 onion diced
• 1 green pepper diced
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 1/2 cup of carrots
• 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 heaping tbsp tomato paste
• 4 cups 32 oz. chicken stock (low sodium)
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/3 cup white cooking wine
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil or butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/2 tbsp salt to taste
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 dash of nutmeg
• 1 dash of ginger
• Garnish:
• Chopped parsley and fresh torn basil leaves.

Instructions

 

• Heat up coconut oil (or oil of choice) on medium high heat in a skillet. Reduce heat to medium, add flour, and stir constantly until the roux darkens to a caramel color.
• Add garlic, onions, green peppers, and celery to the roux. Cook until the roux returns to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and add salt, white cooking wine, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, and allow to simmer for 5-6 minutes.
• Place the meatballs, diced tomatoes, carrots, butter beans, water and about half of the chicken stock to the slow cooker.
• Add red pepper flakes, cayenne, turmeric, coriander, black pepper, rosemary, paprika, oregano, thyme, nutmeg, ginger, tomato paste, and roux mixture into the slow cooker.
• Pour the remaining chicken stock over the ingredients and stir well. Allow the stew to slow cook for 6-8 hours on medium/regular.
• Stir thoroughly before serving and garnish with parsley and basil.

Keyword comfort food, instant pot, slow cooker

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