Hey everyone! I’m sure you’re sensing a theme here, but I’m READY for fall. I’m talking warm sweaters, pumpkin patches, and the best part of all? Soups and stews and crockpots, oh my! That brings me to today’s delicious recipe which is perfect. Today I’ll show you how to make a quick, easy and delicious meatball stew. This seriously is one of those stick-to-your-ribs hearty stews and it quickly became one of my family’s favorites. Here we go!
Special Ingredients or Equipment Needed:
For this meatball stew, I think most of the ingredients can be found at just about any regular grocery store. AND the really nice thing is that this recipe can easily be made vegan too with a few quick swaps. To make this recipe vegan, you would need to:
- swap out the beef stock for a vegetable stock
- use plant based meatballs
- use a vegan worcestershire sauce
- I didn’t even know that worcestershire sauce WASN’T vegan until I checked the label and found that the Lea & Perrins brand contains anchovies!
Aside from these few swaps for those who are on a vegan diet, the ingredients shouldn’t be terribly hard to find.
As far as cooking equipment goes, the main thing you’ll want is a dutch oven. I received one as a wedding gift and we use it ALL the time. This blue Cast Iron Lodge brand 6 qt Dutch Oven is what I use. Now, if you have a large pot, that would also work. With that in mind, I do love how the cast iron distributes the heat really well and the enamel prevents food from sticking though.
Pictures of the Meatball Stew
As you can see here, I’m using frozen meatballs for the stew. You can also use homemade meatballs though too if you prefer. If you want to go that route, you would just have to cook them prior to step one of the recipe and add them back in.
Recipe
Meatball Stew
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp flour
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 4 cups beef broth (can add more if you prefer a thinner stew)
- 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 4 carrots, peeled, and chopped into small pieces
- 4 gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 30 frozen Italian style meatballs We use the Kirkland brand ones from Costco.
- 2 cups spinach, packed and chopped
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat.
- Saute onions for 5-7 minutes, then add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add flour and seasonings. Mix well and allow this roux to brown for 2-3 minutes.
- Add beef broth one cup at a time, whisking and scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the dutch oven to deglaze it. Wait until lightly boiling to add each additional cup of broth, stirring frequently.
- When all cups of broth have been added to the stew and have thickened slightly, add worcestershire sauce, carrots, and potatoes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir, add meatballs, cover and cook an additional 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add spinach and peas. Simmer until the spinach is wilted and the peas are no longer frozen.
- Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly.
- Serve and enjoy!
And there you have it! This meatball stew is super hearty, thick, and was just what my family wanted for a cozy dinner. I hope you all like it just as much as we did.
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If we don’t have a Dutch oven but want to make this, is there something we could use instead?
You could totally make this in a big soup pot too! I just think the cast iron in the dutch oven helps better distribute heat, but if you don’t have one, any large pot should be fine!