Slow-Cooker Soup with Chicken Meatballs and Vegetables 

Be sure to fry the meatball onions. Once softened, onions may readily lend their sweet flavour to the meatball mixture.   

Best bit? Only 25 minutes are needed to make this slow-cooker meatball soup.  

Ingredients

– 1 tablespoon olive oil – 2 cups chopped yellow onions (from 1 onion) – 5 garlic cloves, minced (about 5 teaspoons) – 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt – ½ teaspoon black pepper – 4 cups unsalted chicken stock – 1 cup chopped carrots (from 1 carrot) – 1 cup chopped zucchini (from 1 zucchini)

– 4 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup) – ½ cup thinly sliced celery (from 1 celery stalk) – 1 (14.5 ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoe – 1 pound ground chicken – ⅓ cup whole-wheat panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs) – 2 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley – 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

Direction

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium-high. Stir the onions, garlic, salt, and pepper in the skillet for 6 minutes until softened.   

Set aside 1/2 cup of the cooked onion mixture in a medium bowl. Put the leftover onion mixture in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Mix stock, carrots, zucchini, green beans, celery, and tomatoes in the slow cooker.  

Add chicken, panko, 1/2 tablespoon parsley, and 1 teaspoon oregano to the reserved 1/2 cup onion mixture in the bowl; toss gently with a fork. Make 18 1 1/4-inch chicken meatballs. Avoid swirling the slow cooker chicken stock mixture as you submerge the meatballs. Cover and cook HIGH for 2 hours and 30 minutes to tenderize the meatballs and vegetables. Add 2 tablespoons left-over parsley and 1 teaspoon oregano. Bowl the soup and serve hot.  

Tips Transfer the remaining onion mixture to the inner pot of a 6-quart multicooker in Step 1. Stock, carrots, zucchini, green beans, celery, and tomatoes should be mixed in. Step 2 involves submerging the meatballs in the chicken stock mixture without stirring. Lock the lid and set Pressure Valve to "Venting." About 3 hours on SLOW COOK [More] will tenderize the meatballs and vegetables. Finish Step2.