This Harvest Meatball Stew is comfort in a bowl. It’s perfect for those fall or winter nights, sitting around the fire. It’s a tender, one-pot stew made with beef meatballs simmered in a rich broth with classic root vegetables like carrots, potatoes, parsnips, and turnips.
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Ingredients
Meatballs
1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
1 egg
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil leaves
Bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
Real salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup milk
*makes approximately 24-30 meatballs
Stew
2 tbsp olive oil or butter
1 medium onion, chopped (optional)
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 turnips, peeled and cut into chunks
4 large mushrooms, sliced
4 cups chicken broth
2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp Italian seasonin
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional thickener: (Make a slurry) 2 tbsp arrowroot powder mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Where to Source Quality Grass-Fed/Finished Beef
I buy my meat from either local farmers and I have found regeneratively raised meat sourced from family farms in the USA online. Their meat is clean, all grass-fed and finished. There are no monthly subscriptions that are required. I just order when I want to when I want to.
They carry chicken, beef, pork, bison, elk and rabbit. Along with seafood as well, they have organ meats, fats and broth. A little bonus – if you use Rakuten, they offer cash back from your order. Grab 15% off here.
I have an organic garden that I grow most of our vegetables. If there is something I’m not growing, I’ll either source it from local farmers or we have a few organic markets nearby that I go to. I also shop for other high quality organic foods here. The food at the grocery store is not healthy for us. I don’t know when I went to a traditional grocery store last. I do receive Costco delivery once a month as they have some select organic items that I like. Learn to Create a Healthy Kitchen. It will benefit you and your family.
Directions
Make the Meatballs
- Combine all the ingredients into a bowl. Using your hands, mix it all together until everything is combined.
- Form the mixture into 1 – 1 1/2 inch balls.
- Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 350°for 20-25 minutes.
Prepare the Stew
- Add olive oil/butter to a skillet. If using, add the onion and sauté until they are transparent. Cook the garlic for one minute.
- Next, add all of the root vegetables to a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast in a 350°oven for 20-30 minutes or until veggies are fork tender.
- In a slow-cooker, add the tomatoes, broth, onions and garlic, mushrooms, root vegetables and seasonings. Stir until combined.
- Now, add the cooked meatballs to the stew along with the tomato paste. Stir until thoroughly combined.
- Turn your crockpot/slow cooker on the low setting and cook for 6-8 hours. See notes section below, if using a stove-top version.
- Once done cooking, if your stew needs to be thickened, add your arrowroot powder slurry and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Ladle into bowls and top with grated Parmesan cheese.
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Why Use Root Vegetables
Root vegetables—like carrots, sweet potatoes, and turnips—are nutritional powerhouses packed with complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamins (especially A, C, and K), minerals (potassium, manganese, magnesium), and antioxidants (beta-carotene, betalains, polyphenols). Cooking them enhances their benefits in several key ways, making them a smart addition to your diet.
Studies show cooked carrots can provide 3–5 times more absorbable beta-carotene than raw ones, supporting eye health, immune function, and skin.
Cooking makes root vegetables softer and easier to digest while preserving fiber, which supports regular bowel movements, stabilizes blood sugar, lowers cholesterol, and feeds beneficial gut bacteria. Roasting with a bit of olive oil further boosts absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like A and K.
Nutrition Facts – Meatballs
By adding beef into this stew, just 4 meatballs will give you 41.5 grams of protein. That’s a lot when you add it to your other meals for the day. I try to aim for 100 grams of protein everyday.
Stove-top Version
- Bake your meatballs and roast your vegetables as the above directions.
- Instead of using a slow-cooker, sauté your onion and garlic in a stock-pot. Next, place all of your ingredients in the pot and stir. Bring to a light boil, cover with a lid and then simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Follow the remaining directions.
Can You Use Frozen Meatballs?
Yes, feel free to use any meatballs you like – chicken, pork, beef, venison, etc. Aim for grass-fed or organic. If you do end up using frozen ones, adjust your cooking time and increase it by 1 hour for the stove top.
HOMEMADE MEATBALL TIP
If you are making these homemade meatballs, they are perfect to make ahead and toss in the freezer. After baking and they are cooled, place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Put them in the freezer for an hour. Allow them to get slightly frozen. You can then transfer them to a freezer safe container. Will stay fresh for 2-3 months in the freezer. By preparing ahead, you can just pull out how many you want depending on the meal you are cooking.
Why You’ll Love this Harvest Meatball Stew
Whether you grow the vegetables yourself and reap the harvest, or buy them at the store, they are all hearty, delicious and nutritious. Even the pickiest of eaters will love them. When combined with the healing benefits of bone broth and the protein you receive from the meatballs, it’s a powerhouse supper.
Pin For Later
See my full disclosure here.
Make a French Baguette
This French baguette goes great with a bowl of Harvest Meatball Stew.
Items Used in this Recipe
Resources
Knez E, Kadac-Czapska K, Dmochowska-Ślęzak K, Grembecka M. Root Vegetables-Composition, Health Effects, and Contaminants. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Nov 23;19(23):15531. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192315531. PMID: 36497603; PMCID: PMC9735862.
Tufail T, Bader Ul Ain H, Noreen S, Ikram A, Arshad MT, Abdullahi MA. Nutritional Benefits of Lycopene and Beta-Carotene: A Comprehensive Overview. Food Sci Nutr. 2024 Oct 16;12(11):8715-8741. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.4502. PMID: 39619948; PMCID: PMC11606860.
Davis H, Magistrali A, Butler G, Stergiadis S. Nutritional Benefits from Fatty Acids in Organic and Grass-Fed Beef. Foods. 2022 Feb 23;11(5):646. doi: 10.3390/foods11050646. PMID: 35267281; PMCID: PMC8909876.
Nogoy KMC, Sun B, Shin S, Lee Y, Zi Li X, Choi SH, Park S. Fatty Acid Composition of Grain- and Grass-Fed Beef and Their Nutritional Value and Health Implication. Food Sci Anim Resour. 2022 Jan;42(1):18-33. doi: 10.5851/kosfa.2021.e73. Epub 2022 Jan 1. PMID: 35028571; PMCID: PMC8728510.
Harvest Meatball Stew
Ingredients
Method
- Combine all the ingredients into a bowl. Using your hands, mix it all together until everything is combined.
- Form the mixture into 1 – 1/2 inch balls.
- Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 350℉ for 20-25 minutes.
- Add olive oil/butter to a skillet. If using, add the onion (if using) and sauté until they are transparent. Cook the garlic for one minute.
- Next, add all of the root vegetables to a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast in a 350° oven for 20-30 minutes or until veggies are fork tender.
- In a slow-cooker, add the tomatoes, broth, onions and garlic, mushrooms, root vegetables and seasonings. Stir until combined.
- Now, add the cooked meatballs to the stew along with the tomato paste. Stir until thoroughly combined.
- Turn your crockpot/slow cooker on the low setting and cook for 6-8 hours. See notes section below, if using a stove-top version.
- Once done cooking, if your stew needs to be thickened a little, add your arrowroot powder slurry and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Ladle into bowls and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- OPTIONAL THICKENER: (Make a slurry) 2 tbsp arrowroot powder mixed with 2 tbsp cold water. Add to the stew at the end of cooking, if needed.
- HOMEMADE MEATBALL TIP: If you are making these homemade meatballs, they are perfect to make ahead and toss in the freezer. After baking and they are cooled, place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Put them in the freezer for an hour. Allow them to get slightly frozen. You can then transfer them to a freezer safe container.
- FROZEN MEATBALLS – Yes, feel free to use any meatballs you like – chicken, pork, beef, venison, etc. Aim for grass-fed or organic. If you do end up using frozen ones, adjust your cooking time and increase it by 1 hour for the stove top.
- STOVE-TOP VERSION: 1. Bake your meatballs and roasted vegetables according to the directions above. 2. Instead of using a slow-cooker, sauté your onion and garlic in a stock-pot. Next, place all all of your ingredients in the pot. Bring to a light boil, cover with a lid and then simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Follow the remaining directions.
hope you enjoy making this recipe and that it will benefit you and your family all year long. Please share this post over on Pinterest and tag me over on Instagram. I’d love to see how you make yours.
Wendy Lea Walker, NTP
Nutritional Therapy Practitioner
I’m Wendy. A wife, empty-nester mama, homemaker, homebaker, gardener and small-time farmer. I love sharing wisdom and mistakes I’ve learned along the way. Anyone can garden or homestead, no matter where you live. It’s a mindset. You just have to start somewhere. I believe food is medicine. Feed the body real whole foods and healing will begin. I’ve learned to slow down over the years from all the noise that came with life and enjoy creating a simple home.
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