This Meatball and White Bean Stew is one of those dump and walk away dishes. The only real work besides chopping a few veggies is taking the time to make the meatballs a half hour before you are ready to eat. My sweet husband made the meatballs for this since he got home before me. He is a perfectionist and made each meatball the perfect size and shape. I am pretty sure he never wants the task of rolling meatballs ever again. Me, I would have just pinched off pieces of the sausage about the same size and given them a little shape, easy peasy. Although thanks to him the picture turned out beautiful. The soup was prettier than it would have been if I made them, so thanks, dear.

If you buy good parmesan cheese you know how expensive it is. Get the most for your money and save the rinds after you grate all the cheese off. Put them in the freezer and add them to soups and stews, it gives them great flavor. If you don’t happen to have a rind for this recipe no big deal, you could grate some cheese on afterward or just omit it altogether. You may need to add some salt if you are not using the rind to bump up the flavor. I hope you enjoy this easy one-pot dish as much as we did!

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Print Pin

5 from 3 votes

Mini Meatball and White Bean Stew

Course Main Dish, Meat, Soup and Salad

Cuisine Fall, Slow Cooker, Winter

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 7 30

Total Time 7 40

Servings people

Calories 523

Ingredients

1 pound dried great northern beans rinsed and picked through, broken beans tossed out
8 cups chicken stock
1 onion diced
2 carrots chopped
2 ribs celery diced
4 cloves garlic chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 rind parmesan cheese *optional
1 pound raw ground sausage **breakfast or italian
1 10 ounce bag spinach
crusty bread for serving optional
fresh parsley for serving optional

Instructions

In a large slow cooker combine the first 9 ingredients. Stir to combine, cover and set it either on high for 3 1/2-4 or low for 7-8 hours.
When the beans are done cooking for as long as you set them for make mini meatballs, 1/2 inch, out of the sausage and drop them in the pot. Cover and let these cook for and additional 30 minutes on high.
Remove the cover then remove the parmesan rind, add the spinach and stir. Cover and let cook for an additional 10 minutes to wilt the spinach. Serve with crusty bread and sprinkle with parsley if you have some.

Notes

*whenever you buy a hunk of parmesan cheese throw the rind in a freezer bag and freeze to flavor soups later on.
**I used a pound of regular sausage in a roll that you purchase near the bacon, italian would be nice too, whichever you prefer!

Nutrition

Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands and ingredients you choose.