Craving a hearty stew that doesn't require 3-4 hours simmering on the stove top? My quick and delicious meatball stew recipe makes it possible!
Packed with savory, tender meatballs, this stew combines the wholesome goodness of potatoes, carrots, peas, and a rich beef broth. It's the epitome of comfort food. Serve it with some crusty bread (gluten free, of course) for a cozy dinner your family will love!
If you're looking for more comfort food, check out my gluten free chicken pot pie or this fan favorite old fashioned chicken and rice soup.
Why You'll Love This Meatball Stew Recipe
- Comforting - This simple meatball stew recipe will please your whole family. It's warm, hearty delicious meal for a cold night.
- Easy - This recipe comes together in just about an hour, making it accessible for a weeknight meal.
- Stores Well - This tasty stew stores and reheats well, making it perfect for meal prep.
- Allergen friendly - This recipe is both gluten free and dairy free as written.
Ingredient Notes
This hearty meatball stew uses common ingredients which should be available at any grocery store.
- Oil - I have used light flavor olive oil. The oil is only used for sauteeing the onions and celery, so any type of light flavored cooking oil will work.
- Onion & Celery - Provide the base for the stew, which helps to create a more complex flavor in the finished dish.
- Carrots - Cut your carrots into coins about ¼" thick. Carrots tend to take a long time to cook to a tender stage, so they start early in the stew and cook all the way through the simmering stage.
- Garlic - Garlic is another ingredient that is building the flavor for this meatball stew. For the best flavor, I prefer to use fresh garlic
- Tomato Paste - Tomatoes are a perfect compliment for beef. Just a little bit of rich tomato paste will give a lot of flavor and a little bit of sweetness to the broth.
- Coconut Aminos - Similar to the tomato paste, this is just another ingredient to add complexity to the flavor of the broth. Coconut aminos are a little bit sweet. If you prefer more savory flavor, you can use gluten free soy sauce instead.
- Salt, Pepper, Rosemary, Thyme and Bay Leaves - All work together to enhance the flavor of the stew. I've used fresh rosemary and thyme, if you use dried then use half the amount called for in the recipe.
- Potatoes - You can't have a beef stew without potatoes. I used some Yukon gold potatoes, but Russet or red potatoes would work just as well. Cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces before adding them to the pot.
- Gluten Free Meatballs - I used a batch of fully cooked, frozen homemade meatballs. You can use store bought frozen meatballs or cook them fresh before making the meatball soup. If you're not gluten free, any type of cooked frozen meatball will work.
- Beef Broth - If you're following a gluten free diet, ensure your broth is marked gluten free. This is an ingredient that commonly contains hidden gluten.
- Frozen Peas - I know peas can be controversial, like raisins LOL. If you like them, then add them in at the end of the cooking process. They take very little time to warm through.
- Tapioca Starch and Water - These two ingredients are combined together to make a starch slurry which will thicken the broth to make it into a stew. I've chosen Tapioca starch because it creates a velvety smooth broth and it stays thickened even when chilled and reheated. If you don't use tapioca, you can replace it with cornstarch or arrowroot powder.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Spicy: Add ¼ teaspoon or more of Red Pepper Flakes to add a little kick.
- Umami: Add some mushrooms to bulk up the stew and add some umami flavor.
- Vegetable Swap: Use parsnips in place of carrots for a sweeter flavor profile. Bell pepper would also make a great addition to this recipe.
- Dried Herbs: To replace the fresh rosemary and thyme with their dried herb counterparts, use half the amount called for in the recipe.
- Meat Swap: Use plant based meatballs, chicken meatballs, or ground turkey meatballs for an alternative to beef. If you opt for chicken or turkey meatballs, you can use chicken broth instead for more poultry flavor.
- No peas: If you don't like peas, you can use Cannellini beans, frozen green beans or corn in place of the peas. Green beans may take a bit longer to cook.
- Tapioca replacement: Swap the tapioca slurry for a cornstarch slurry. Both work well as a thickener.
How to Make Meatball Stew
This perfect comfort meal cooks in a large dutch oven pot, making for easy cleanup. Using frozen meatballs cuts down on the prep time making this a great recipe for a weeknight meal.
STEP 1: Add the oil to a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions, celery and carrots. Saute until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes.
STEP 2: Add the tomato paste, garlic, coconut aminos, salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary. Stir while cooking for 1 minute more.
STEP 3: Add 1 cup of beef broth to the pot. Use your spoon to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
STEP 4: Add the potatoes, frozen meatballs, bay leaves and remaining beef broth to the pot. Stir gently to ensure all of the meatballs are in the liquid. Bring to a simmer, cover then cook for about 20 minutes.
STEP 5: Once the potatoes are fork tender, add the frozen peas to the stew.
STEP 6: Make a slurry of the tapioca starch and water. Pour it into the stew and stir well. Cook for about 5 minutes more until the broth has thickened.
Storage
Store leftover stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can also freeze this stew. I recommend using souper cubes to freeze individual servings. Once they are solid, transfer the cubes to a freezer bag or container and store for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQs
Red potatoes or Yukon potatoes hold up best to cooking. You can use Russet potatoes too, but they will being to fall apart after boiling. This won't affect the flavor at all.
I have a comprehensive post on making gluten free meatballs including step by step photos. Those same meatballs are the ones I froze and used for this stew recipe.
We enjoy our stew with a side of gluten free garlic bread. Any type of rolls or salad would also be good. Since the stew contains meat, starch and vegetables it is really a full meal on its own.
Other gluten free dinner recipes to consider:
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Meatball Stew
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Cup Yellow Onion diced
- 1 Cups Carrots sliced into coins
- ½ Cup Celery about 2 stalks, diced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons Coconut Aminos
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ¾ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Thyme chopped
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Rosemary chopped
- 4 cups Gluten Free Beef Broth
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 pound Potatoes cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 ½- 2 pounds Frozen Meatballs about 24 meatballs
- 1 ½ Cups Frozen Peas optional
- ¼ cup Tapioca Starch
- 3 Tablespoons Cold Water
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a dutch oven pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, carrots and celery to the pot. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, 1 Cup Yellow Onion, 1 Cups Carrots, ½ Cup Celery
- Add the garlic, tomato paste, coconut aminos, salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary to the pot and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.3 cloves Garlic, 2 tablespoons Coconut Aminos, 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste, 1 teaspoon Salt, ¾ teaspoon Black Pepper, 1 teaspoon Fresh Thyme, 1 teaspoon Fresh Rosemary
- Add 1 cup of beef broth and deglaze the bottom of the pot.4 cups Gluten Free Beef Broth
- Add in the potatoes, frozen meatballs, bay leaves and remaining beef broth. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tenders and the meatballs are warmed to 165 degrees.1 pound Potatoes, 1 ½- 2 pounds Frozen Meatballs, 2 Bay Leaves
- Once the potatoes are soft. Stir in the peas.1 ½ Cups Frozen Peas
- Combine the tapioca and water in a small bowl to make a slurry. Stir the slurry into the cooking stew until dissolved. Continue to simmer for about 5 minutes until the stew has thickened and the peas are warm.¼ cup Tapioca Starch, 3 Tablespoons Cold Water
- Remove the bay leaf and serve immediately.
Notes
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
Lara says
This was fabulous and came together so quickly. My husband loved it!
This is a good hearty meal. 🙂
Mary says
The Meatball Stew was wonderful. I am not a fan of frozen meatballs, so I followed the meatball portion of the Swedish Meatball recipe. It turned out delicious.