It’s cold outside. Like 19 degrees and 3″ of snow cold outside. My pajamas, Netflix and some comfort food is calling my name! But alas, I have work to do. Because I work from home, I can wear my pajamas while I type away on this blog post! Netflix can play in the background. And my comfort food for the day? My hearty and chill crushing Skinny Slow Cooker Meatball Soup Recipe!
Because we had a houseful of kids when I was growing up, money was tight. Mom was a wiz at making a dollar stretch. One way to get the most from her food allowance was to make meals in bulk. This means we had a lot of spaghetti, mac and cheese casserole and soup. We had gallons of soup, especially in the winter. One of my favorites was mom’s meatball soup.
When I was a kid, watching my calories and grams of fat and carbs was nothing I knew of. As I have gotten older, I have become a nutrient nazi. As I have gained weight over the years and have recently had a diabetes diagnosis, it is a must. Now I have a mobile app to keep track of every carb, calories, gram of fat, protein and fiber that goes in my mouth. This has lead to some tweaking of several of my mom’s recipes. So now her Meatball Soup has become my Skinny Slow Cooker Meatball Soup Recipe!
I have found making recipes “skinny” was easier than I imagined. I read labels and do online research for making healthy swaps. A high percentage of the time, we don’t notice a huge change. In many instances, the flavor profile has increased, which I love! The only thing I have missed was dessert. With my addictive personality, I find it best to leave all those sugary foods alone. For me, it’s like the Lay’s commercial…I can’t eat just one!
For my mom’s Meatball Soup, I made a few changes to make it into my Skinny Slow Cooker Meatball Soup Recipe. Instead of white rice, I use brown rice instead. Instead of ground beef or sausage, I use ground turkey for the meatballs. Just add additional spices if you feel the turkey needs a bit of added flavor. Instead of white potatoes, you can switch it with butternut squash. I am just not a fan, so I leave most of the potatoes for my husband to eat. The only other advice I have when you make this soup is to make a huge pot. It goes quickly, so you will want plenty on hand. If you have extra, it freezes well!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 cup diced potatoes or white navy beans
- 1 bag of frozen peas and carrots
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 can beef broth
- 1 can tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 clove garlic, chopped fine
Instructions
- In a small bowl, beat the egg. Add your ground turkey, rice, salt, pepper, and oregano. Mix well and form into 1" balls. Set aside.
- In your slow cooker, add remaining ingredients.. Mix well. Add meatballs. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.
- Serve immediately with crusty wheat bread and enjoy!
What is your favorite soup? If it is high in fat and calories, how could you make it a “skinny” version of itself?
robin masshole mommy says
January 12, 2017 at 1:36 pmI cannot wait to try this. I am going to make it this weekend!
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
January 12, 2017 at 1:50 pmThat sounds so good! I love cooking with my slow cooker, but I’ve never made a soup like this before. I’ll have to give it a try.
Jen Rattie says
January 12, 2017 at 1:51 pmThat sounds fully awesome. I love meatballs, whether they’re in soup or spaghetti or whatever. I can’t wait to try this.
Pam Wattenbarger says
January 12, 2017 at 2:34 pmSlow cooker recipes are my favorite because they’re so easy. This sounds really good.
Heather Lawrence says
January 12, 2017 at 2:57 pmOh this dish looks delicious!
My family are huge meatball fans so this recipe would be a hit in our house. Can’t wait to try it this weekend.
Marcie W. says
January 12, 2017 at 7:04 pmTalk about perfect comfort food. This soup is everything I look for in a winter meal; warm, hearty and simple to make.
Anne says
January 12, 2017 at 8:25 pmWhat a hearty soup, one that I’m sure would be a big hit here. I’ve pinned it for future reference. (Probably not the distant future, though, because it looks like the perfect winter soup!) Thanks.
Jeanine says
January 12, 2017 at 10:31 pmWow look at the colours in this. That looks oh so delicious. I am all about soups lately and really would love to try this one! It looks great and your photos are stunning!
Lynne B says
January 12, 2017 at 11:07 pmThis sounds filling! I love that it’s a slow cooker recipe! I was thinking that if you didn’t want to use rice, you could grate some cauliflower as a substitute.
Veronica Lee says
January 13, 2017 at 5:55 amOoo! I wanna try this recipe. Looks sooooo goood!
Wendy Polisi says
January 13, 2017 at 6:35 amoh my goodness! This is really looks yummy and fantastic! I would love to try this recipe. Saved.
My Teen Guide says
January 13, 2017 at 6:36 amIt looks really delish! Such a fantastic recipe. It also perfect this winter season.
mycraftingworld says
January 13, 2017 at 7:05 amI like this. I eat a lot of homemade vegetable soup. I can add meatballs and a few spices and something very similar to yours.
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
January 13, 2017 at 7:31 amThis is such an ultimate comfort food! I would love to try it for dinner! Yum!
Chrishelle Ebner says
January 13, 2017 at 8:45 amI love a hearty soup on the cold winter nights. Skinny or not, this soup sounds absolutely amazing. I am going to have to make it real soon.
Our Family World says
January 13, 2017 at 9:22 amThis is my kind of comfort food! would be perfect tonight! It’s really cold and this is such a perfect.
Seattle Travel Blogger says
January 13, 2017 at 9:52 amMy father may love this recipe. He is moving towards a Paleo-like diet and this soup fits the profile!
michele d says
January 13, 2017 at 10:39 amJust the other day I seen a recipe just like this and my goodness it looked amazing! I need to try out your recipe soon. It looks too good to pass up.
Kathy says
January 13, 2017 at 11:26 amThis looks amazing. I have never had meatball soup before. I honestly never even heard about it. I can’t wait to give this a try.
Melissa says
January 13, 2017 at 4:47 pmthis looks like the ultimate bowl of comfort food and I am ready to buy up all the ingredients and whip this up for myself and my kids! Pretty sure they’d love my vegetarian meatball version!
Kristen Dann says
January 13, 2017 at 5:22 pmThis sounds delicious. The fact that it’s skinny makes it perfect for my pre-wedding diet. Thanks!
Anne C says
January 13, 2017 at 7:42 pmAhh soup! Looks delicious! I really need to cook more soup this season.
Dawn McAlexander says
January 13, 2017 at 9:11 pmNow, there’s an idea that is original: meatball soup. I would not have thought of that. If it’s in a slow cooker, then it’s for me. That’s the type of recipe that I like.
Joanne Ozug says
January 13, 2017 at 9:47 pmThis looks so hearty! I’m always looking for more slow cooker meals and this is so easy!
bea miller says
January 14, 2017 at 11:55 pmomg i love meatballs i so want to try this
Foodie Finds Home says
January 15, 2017 at 7:09 amThis sounds like a delicious soup. I am a fan of butternut squash so I’ll try it with that in it. Thanks for the tip! I am going to eat this for lunch since it’s a short work week. :0)
Emily Endrizzi says
January 15, 2017 at 11:47 amThat looks delicious! I have. Ever had meatball soup before. My favorite soup is potato soup., but I don’t make my own.
Audrey Stewart says
January 15, 2017 at 12:25 pmI love meatball soup. I will make this in the next few days.
Holly Thomas says
January 15, 2017 at 1:38 pmI got a slow cooker for Christmas and I have been looking for healthy recipes, This recipe is something my whole family would love.
Shaney Maharaj says
January 15, 2017 at 2:28 pmThis looks like such a delicious winter meal. I’m saving this recipe for when winter arrives in my country. I just recently got a slow cooker!
Kimberly Flickinger says
January 16, 2017 at 9:45 pmThis meatball soup is great for a cold winter day. I will definitely have to make this for my family, now that I have a slow cooker. Thank you for sharing.
Amanda Love says
January 17, 2017 at 1:50 amThis looks amazing and appetizing as well! Seeing the pictures definitely made me hungry. Now I’d love to cook this for the family, I’m sure they’re going to enjoy it!
OurFamilyWorld says
January 17, 2017 at 11:08 pmThat looks so yummy and I love that the soup is low on fat. I have gall stone issues and I’m always on the lookout for skinny recipes. I can’t wait to give this a try.
Mary Songer says
January 20, 2017 at 12:11 amI love any recipe I can do in my crock pot. I love that you made it healthier.
Treen Goodwin says
January 20, 2017 at 8:42 amyummy this looks and sounds scrumptious , my Husband would love it , thanks for sharing the recipe , i will def be trying it out 🙂
Julie Wood says
January 23, 2017 at 8:28 amThis soup looks so delicious and fun to make! I want to make this for the family and I love making Slow Cooker meals.
June S. says
January 23, 2017 at 7:48 pm(Skinny Slow Cooker Meatball Soup Recipe) I like making many different types of soup now that it is cold here, I make a new crock-pot full every week. I am going to make this one real soon.
Esperanza Gailliard says
January 23, 2017 at 8:09 pmMy mother used the slow cooker when I was growing up. She made all of her Lunaape/Nanticoke recipes with turkey legs and wings in them as well. I know how to make all of them. Now it is time to make new ones. lol
Hannah C says
January 26, 2017 at 8:32 pmThis looks great! Yum!
Michelle J. says
February 27, 2017 at 9:28 amThose soup bowls are adorable!
mycraftingworld says
August 20, 2017 at 6:54 amThis sounds good. It threw me for a moment. I kept reading to find the butternut squash but you did say it was a substitute. Thank you for the recipe.
Rosie says
October 3, 2017 at 11:07 amWow! I finally have a slow cooker, and this is exactly the kind of recipe I’ve been wanting to make. It looks delish!
mycraftingworld says
December 14, 2017 at 6:36 amI have made this before and it is good. I am going to make it again now that it is so cold here. Thank you.
Peggy Nunn says
August 28, 2018 at 8:28 amI made this recently. It is so good. I like to add different spices to change it.