Gluten-Free Crock Pot Italian Meatball Soup with pasta noodles is loaded with delicious rustic flavor and the most tender meatballs! This easy meatball soup recipe is the perfect set it and forget it meal for the cold winter months.
Calling all meatball lovers!
If you’ve never tried meatball soup, you’re in for the biggest treat!
In addition, if you’ve never tried homemade meatballs made in a crock pot, you’re in for an even bigger surprise, because slow cooked meatballs have the absolute best texture and flavor in my opinion.
The meatballs turn out so magnificently tender! The rich tomato broth is so hearty, so the whole thing comes together in this whirlwind of amazing texture and flavor.
Plus, pasta is involved, so you know it’s good.
Preparing this simple crock pot meatball soup is rather easy.
We simply mix up the ingredients for the meatballs, then toss everything in a crock pot and let the slow cooking do all the hard work.
I love that this easy one pot meal results in the most satisfying dinner, full of everything you need for a complete meal. We have complex carbohydrates (from the gluten-free brown rice pasta noodles), lots of protein from the meatballs, and an infusion of Vitamins and fiber from the veggies.
Plus, the recipe makes a big batch, ideal for serving a big family or for having leftovers.
Let’s discuss the fresh ingredients for this lovely crock pot meatball soup!
Ingredients for Crock Pot Italian Meatball Soup:
For the Meatballs: Lean ground beef, egg, gluten-free all-purpose flour (or gluten-free bread crumbs), garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper.
For the Soup: Onion, carrots, bell peppers, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth (or beef broth), red wine, Italian seasoning, gluten-free pasta noodles, and baby spinach.
The meatball ingredients are straightforward yet result in the yummiest meatballs that are so easy to make.
All of the soup ingredients combined with the juicy meatballs results in a hearty soup recipe that hits the spot whenever you’re craving something filling.
I love providing options to customize my recipes for those who (like me) are constantly thinking of ways of changing things up. Here are some ideas.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Use ⅔ cup of gluten-free bread crumbs instead of the gluten-free all-purpose flour if you’d like. If you aren’t gluten-free, use regular Italian bread crumbs or Panko bread crumbs.
- Add 1/2 to 2/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese to the meatballs if you aren’t dairy-free.
- Replace the crushed tomatoes with tomato sauce if you prefer.
- Use Italian sausage, ground pork, or ground turkey instead of ground beef for the Italian meatballs.
- For very thick soup, reduce the amount of chicken broth to 3 cups.
- If you love tomato based soups, use 1 (28-oz) can of crushed tomatoes (instead of 14 ounces) and 4 cups of chicken broth.
- Replace the pasta noodles with ⅔ cup of white rice or brown rice if you prefer.
- To make this soup lower in carbohydrates, omit the pasta noodles altogether.
- Add any of your favorite vegetables such as broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, green beans, peas, etc.
- If you have fresh herbs on hand, toss them in! Fresh parsley, fresh basil, bay leaf, and sage are always great!
- Replace the spinach with kale or chard or omit it altogether.
- I like using spiral pasta noodles but elbow pasta, bowtie pasta, small shells, or any small pasta noodle will work.
Now that we’re familiar with the healthy ingredients, let’s set it and forget it!
How to Make Crock Pot Italian Meatball Soup:
Add all of the ingredients for the meatballs to a large bowl. Combine all of the ingredients until everything is mixed together. I use my hands for this.
You can also use a food processor or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to mix the meatball mixture.
Form balls out of the meat mixture and place them in the bottom of the crock pot (make any size meatballs you like!). If you have a small cookie scoop, you can use it to make perfect bite sized meatballs.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker except for the pasta and spinach.
Cook on High heat for 3 ½ hours or Low heat for 6 to 7 hours. Stir in the spinach and pasta noodles and resume cooking on High for 30 to 40 more minutes, or until the pasta is cooked through but is still al dente and the meatballs are cooked through.
Serve meatball soup in big bowls with any additional side dishes such as garlic bread or cornbread and enjoy.
This family favorite is even better the next day!
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Stove Top Option:
If you don’t have a crock pot or if you’re looking to shorten the cook time, make this recipe in a Dutch oven or large pot on the stove top. To do so, you’ll want to brown the meatballs over medium heat in a little bit of olive oil along with the chopped onions. Once all of the ingredients are in the pot and have come to a full boil, simmer for 1 hour.
And that’s it!
A hearty meatball soup for any busy weeknight and the ultimate comfort food that will surely please the whole family.
If you love meatball soups, also try my Italian Wedding Soup with Rice, Albondigas Soup, and my Sicilian Meatball Soup with Cabbage.
Can’t get enough of hearty comforting soups? Try out these healthy soup recipes!
More Healthy Soup Recipes:
- Crock Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Slow Cooker Lentil Soup
- Wild Rice Chicken Soup
- Rustic Tortellini Soup with Sausage
Whip up this rustic meatball soup for any weeknight dinner or for easy meal prep!
Ingredients
For The Meatballs:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 egg
- ½ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour*
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp sea salt, to taste
For the soup:
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 14-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 5 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup red wine such as cabernet sauvignon
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp sea salt, to taste
- 2 cups uncooked gluten-free pasta noodles
- 3 cups baby spinach
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients for the meatballs to a large bowl. Combine all of the ingredients until everything is mixed together. I use my hands for this. You can also use a food processor or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to mix the meatball mixture.
- Form balls out of the meat mixture and place them in the bottom of the crock pot (make any size meatballs you like!). If you have a small cookie scoop, you can use it to make perfect bite sized meatballs.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker except for the pasta and spinach.Cook on High heat for 3 ½ hours or Low heat for 6 to 7 hours.
- Stir in the spinach and pasta noodles and resume cooking on High for 30 to 40 more minutes, or until the pasta is cooked through but is still al dente and the meatballs are cooked through.
- Serve meatball soup in big bowls with any additional side dishes such as garlic bread or cornbread and enjoy.
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
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