Description

This Slow Cooker Meatball Soup is a comforting and hearty meal featuring tender Italian-style meatballs simmered in a flavorful tomato and chicken broth base, enriched with aromatic spices, creamy heavy cream, tender ditalini pasta, fresh baby spinach, and topped with Parmesan cheese. Perfect for busy days, this easy-to-make soup requires minimal preparation and slow cooking to develop deep, rich flavors.

Ingredients

Scale

Main Ingredients

20 ounces frozen Italian style meatballs
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 teaspoons garlic, minced
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
28 ounces canned diced tomatoes
6 ounces tomato paste
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons corn starch
1½ cups heavy cream
16 ounces dry ditalini pasta
1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely shredded
4 cups fresh baby spinach

Instructions

Combine Ingredients: Add frozen Italian style meatballs, diced yellow onion, minced garlic, low-sodium chicken broth, canned diced tomatoes, tomato paste, black pepper, Italian seasoning, paprika, and dried thyme into the slow cooker. Stir well to combine all ingredients evenly.
Cook Soup: Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours, allowing the meatballs to cook through and the flavors to meld together beautifully.
Prepare Cream Mixture: In a small bowl, whisk together corn starch and heavy cream until the mixture is smooth and lump-free. This will help thicken the soup and add creaminess.
Add Cream Mixture: Pour the corn starch and heavy cream mixture into the slow cooker and stir gently to combine.
Add Pasta, Cheese, and Spinach: Add the dry ditalini pasta, finely shredded Parmesan cheese, and fresh baby spinach into the soup. Stir well and continue cooking for an additional 15-30 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked to your desired tenderness and the spinach is wilted.
Serve: Stir the soup once more before serving to evenly distribute all ingredients. Ladle into bowls and enjoy this warm, hearty, and creamy meatball soup.

Notes

For a thicker soup, let it cook uncovered for the last 15 minutes.
You can substitute heavy cream with half-and-half for a lighter version, but the soup will be less creamy.
To make it gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta and ensure meatballs don’t contain breadcrumbs.
Leftover soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
Feel free to add other vegetables such as carrots or celery for extra nutrients.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low
Category: Soup
Method: Slow Cooking
Cuisine: Italian-American

Keywords: slow cooker meatball soup, Italian meatball soup, creamy meatball soup, ditalini pasta soup, easy slow cooker recipes