Slow Cooker Italian Meatball Gnocchi Soup Food

SLOW-COOKER ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• For the sauce: Pour the tomatoes into a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker and crush by hand. Stir in the tomato paste, olive oil, oregano, pepper flakes, garlic, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt.
• For the meatballs: Place the onions, carrots, celery, parsley and garlic in a food processor and pulse to make a paste. Transfer to a large bowl and add the beef, pork, eggs, breadcrumbs, Parmesan and 1 teaspoon salt. Form into 1 1/2-inch meatballs (you should get about 20 to 24) and nestle into the sauce in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or low for 7 to 8 hours. Discard the bay leaves before serving.

GNOCCHI, SPINACH, AND MEATBALL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat and saute onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken stock, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and bring liquid slowly up to a simmer, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the meatballs. Combine ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, onion powder, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix until well combined. Roll mixture into tiny 1/2-inch meatballs.
• Once the soup is boiling, carefully drop meatballs one by one into the pot. Bring back up to a slow simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Skim off any gray muck that comes to the top with a spoon and discard.
• Add carrots, escarole, and gnocchi and bring soup back to a simmer. Stir in half-and-half, spinach, and herbs. When gnocchi rise to the top, remove from heat.
• Remove bay leaf and serve soup with Parmesan cheese.

ITALIAN MEATBALL SOUP

Steps:

• To make the meatballs, add the ground beef, grated Parmesan, 3 tablespoons of the parsley, the lemon juice, ground oregano, garlic, egg, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper to a bowl and mix together well. Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls.
• In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs in batches, turning to brown all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per batch. No need to cook them all the way as they'll go back into the soup later. Remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Now, grab some beef stock and pour it into a pot. Add some salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato paste--it adds so much yummy richness. Make a bouquet garni by adding the peppercorns, bay leaves and remaining 1/4 cup parsley to a piece of cheesecloth and tying it into a bundle using kitchen twine; drop it right into the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
• Remove the bouquet garni, which now resembles a jellyfish with jaundice. Go ahead and discard it; it's lived a full life. Add the diced potatoes, carrots, celery and onions and the sliced cabbage. Finally, in go the browned meatballs. Let the soup simmer long enough for the vegetables to get slightly tender and the meatballs to cook all the way through, another 20 minutes or so.
• You can sprinkle the soup with some freshly grated Parmesan if you'd like one last dose of decadence. Serve with crusty bread.

SLOW COOKER MEATBALL GNOCCHI SOUP

Steps:

• Combine the sausage, cheese, and bread crumbs in a medium bowl until fully mixed.
• Pour the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth into the slow cooker. Form the meat/cheese mixture into one inch balls and drop them into the liquid.
• Add the spices, carrots and celery and cook on low for 8 hours.
• With a half hour left in the cooking (so at 7 hours and 30 minutes in), turn the heat up to high and add the gnocchi. Continue cooking for a half hour.
• Serve with grated parmesan and fresh basil.

SLOW-COOKED MEATBALL SOUP

Steps:

• Place first 11 ingredients in a 6-qt. slow cooker. Cook, covered, on low until vegetables are tender and flavors are blended, 5-6 hours., Stir in pasta; cook, covered, on high until pasta is tender, 15-20 minutes. Discard bay leaf; stir in spinach until wilted. Serve with cheese.