Slow-Cooker Lamb and Wild Rice Soup

A rich and hearty stew with chunky veggies, wild rice and homemade lamb meatballs. MORE+ LESS-

By Macheesmo

May 2, 2017

lb ground lamb

1/2

cup bread crumbs

large egg

1/2

teaspoon kosher salt

1/2

teaspoon black pepper

tablespoons vegetable oil

stalks celery, chopped

large carrot, peeled and chopped

cloves garlic, sliced

oz cremini mushrooms, quartered

bay leaves

quarts beef stock

cups cooked wild rice

large bunch spinach, chopped

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1

In a medium bowl, mash together ground lamb, breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper. Form small meatballs out of the mixture. You should get 20-24 meatballs.
2

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add meatballs in batches and brown on all sides. When browned, remove meatballs from the pan and add 2 cups water. Use water to scrape up any bits on the pan.
3

In a large slow cooker, add meatballs with all chopped veggies, bay leaves and garlic. Pour in liquid from skillet and the beef stock. The liquid should cover the ingredients. Cover and cook on low for at least 5 hours.
4

When ready to serve, cook wild rice separately according to instructions on package.
5

5 minutes before serving, add chopped spinach to slow cooker and stir it in so it wilts slightly. Season stew with salt and pepper.
6

For serving, spoon 1/3 to 1/2 cup wild rice into the bottom of a bowl. Ladle on stew, being sure to get some meatballs, veggies and broth in each bowl.

Nutrition Information

1 Starch; 0 Fruit; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 1 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 2 Fat;

1 1/2

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

More About This Recipe

This stew will change your view on what a savory slow cooker stew can be. Not only is this soup hearty, thanks to wild rice, mushrooms, and big chunks of vegetables, but it also has slow-simmered lamb meatballs that are guaranteed to be fall-apart tender and give the broth a super rich flavor. For the cold months, I can’t imagine a meal getting much better than a big bowl of this. While you could use a cubed lamb roast for this soup, you run the risk of ending up with tough bits of lamb. Instead, I like to use ground lamb and make meatballs, which will then simmer in the stew. Let this all simmer on low for about 5 hours in the slow-cooker. When you’re ready to serve it, spoon some cooked rice into a bowl and ladle the stew over the top. Be sure to get lots of broth, veggies, and meatballs in each bowl!