This beef meatball vegetable soup has browned, parsley-flecked meatballs and a generous mix of cabbage, green beans, peas, and carrots. The vegetables simmer in homemade beef meat stock while the meatballs cook in a separate skillet. Put the finished meatballs into the bowls, then ladle the hot soup over them. You get a brothy soup with tender vegetables and the savory flavor of browned beef.
Our family started GAPS with the Introduction Diet in July 2024. Soup belongs in both Intro and Full GAPS, but the ingredients and preparation can change quite a bit along the way. This is a Full GAPS bowl with almond flour, spices, and browned meatballs. If you have moved into that part of the diet, it gives you another way to use the meat stock you are already making.
Browning The Meatballs First
The meatballs are gently flattened before they go into the pan. That gives each one a broader surface to brown than a perfectly round ball would have. After the first side colors, turn them and add a little water to finish cooking. The water loosens the browned bits and keeps the second part of cooking from being a dry fry.
Meanwhile, the cabbage and other vegetables cook in the stock. Keeping those jobs separate means you can check the meatballs without stirring them through a crowded soup pot. It also makes serving straightforward: divide the cooked meatballs between the bowls, then add the vegetables and liquid. There is no need to keep boiling everything together after both parts are ready.
Full GAPS Ingredients And Preparation
This soup fits Full GAPS once eggs, almonds, the vegetables, and the seasonings are tolerated. It contains nuts and eggs. The combination of browned meatballs, nut flour, and spices makes it different from an early Intro soup, even though homemade meat stock is used in both. Removing the optional chipotle makes it milder without changing the rest of that placement.
Use homemade meat stock for the two quarts of liquid. The linked beef stock begins with raw, meaty short ribs and a shorter simmer. It is different from long-cooked bone broth. GAPS keeps meat stock as the starting foundation; a Full GAPS label does not by itself mean that bone broth has been introduced.
The almond flour needs to be dry and finely ground. The 2020 GAPS book permits fresh blanched almond flour and recommends keeping it frozen. Choose plain almond flour without added starches, and avoid a stale or rancid-smelling bag. Fresh, damp fermented almond flour is a different ingredient; its extra moisture makes it an unsuitable automatic cup-for-cup substitution here.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 pound ground beef
- ¼ cup dry blanched almond flour
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
- ¼ cup finely diced onion, for the meatball mixture
- 1 teaspoon pure garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon pure ground chili powder
- 1 pinch pure chipotle powder, optional
- 2 tablespoons homemade ghee
- ½ cup water, for the skillet
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 quarts homemade beef meat stock
- 16 ounces green beans, trimmed
- 4 ounces peas
- 1 small head cabbage, cut into 1-inch-thick wedges
- ½ large onion, diced, for the soup
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
There are two separate onion amounts. The quarter cup is mixed into the beef; the half large onion goes into the soup pot. Keep those portions separate while you chop. If the green beans are very long, cut them into comfortable spoon-sized pieces. Keep the cabbage in wedges rather than finely shredding it, so you have soft layers of cabbage in the finished bowl.
Use single, pure ground chili and garlic powders. The optional chipotle adds a smoky heat, so you can leave it out when you want a gentler bowl. Homemade ghee supplies the cooking fat here. The half cup of water is for the skillet only; all two quarts of meat stock go into the vegetable soup.
Recommended Equipment
Have a mixing bowl, a tablespoon scoop, a skillet, a turner, and a large soup pot ready. You will also need a knife, cutting board, measuring cups and spoons, and a ladle. A food thermometer lets you check the middle of a meatball without relying on its browned outside.
An enameled cast-iron skillet works for browning. I use Le Creuset in Artichaut where that cookware fits the job. Give the meatballs enough room to sit against the cooking surface rather than pressing them together. If your pan cannot hold the mixture comfortably, cook it in batches and allow extra time. Choose a soup pot with room for the stock and cabbage, not just the liquid.
How To Make The Soup
1. Mix And Shape The Meatballs
Beat the two raw eggs in a mixing bowl until the yolks and whites are combined. Add the ground beef, almond flour, dried parsley, quarter cup of diced onion, garlic powder, chili powder, and optional chipotle. Mix until the egg and seasonings are spread evenly through the meat. The mixture should look moist, with small onion pieces and herb flecks throughout.
Use a tablespoon scoop to portion the mixture, then flatten each portion slightly. Aim for similar thickness so they cook at a similar pace. These are small meatballs, not large burger patties. You do not need to press them into perfectly smooth shapes; a little irregular texture browns nicely against the pan.
2. Start The Vegetable Soup
Put the two quarts of beef meat stock into the large pot. Add the teaspoon of salt, green beans, peas, cabbage wedges, half large onion, and carrot coins. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a steady simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes, checking that the vegetables are tender.
The cabbage layers should soften and bend, and a fork should enter a carrot coin easily. Keep the liquid gently moving rather than churning at a hard boil. Stir carefully around the cabbage so the pieces stay substantial instead of breaking into tiny shreds. You can check the pot while the meatballs cook beside it.
3. Brown And Finish The Meatballs
Melt the ghee in the skillet over moderate heat. Add the slightly flattened meatballs with space between them. Cook on the first side until browned, about 10 minutes. Ease a turner underneath before lifting; pulling at a soft edge too soon can tear a piece away.
Turn the meatballs and add the half cup of water. Cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, until done through. Adjust the heat if the pan is drying aggressively. The meatballs should have a browned face and a firm, cooked center. Check that the center reaches 160°F with a food thermometer. The brown surface tells you about the sear; the thermometer checks the middle.
4. Fill The Bowls
When the vegetables are tender and the meatballs are cooked through, divide the meatballs between serving bowls. Ladle the stock and vegetables over them. Try to include some cabbage, green beans, peas, and carrots in each bowl, rather than pouring mostly liquid into the first one.
Serve hot. The browned edges soften a little as the soup reaches them, while the small onion and parsley pieces remain visible in the meat. The stock stays brothy; almond flour is inside the meatballs to help the mixture hold together, not stirred into the pot as a soup thickener.
Beef Meatball Vegetable Soup for Full GAPS
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Beat the raw eggs in a mixing bowl. Mix in the beef, almond flour, parsley, diced onion portion for the meatballs, garlic powder, chili powder and optional chipotle. Portion with a tablespoon scoop and flatten slightly.
- Put the meat stock in a large pot with the salt, green beans, peas, cabbage, onion portion for the soup and carrot coins. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
- While the soup simmers, melt the ghee in a skillet over moderate heat. Brown the slightly flattened meatballs on one side, about 10 minutes. Turn, add the water measured for the skillet, and cook another 10 to 15 minutes until done through. Check for 160°F at the center. Work in batches if needed and allow extra time.
- Divide the cooked meatballs between bowls and ladle the hot vegetable soup over them. Serve hot.
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Preparing Ahead And Storing
The easiest head start is having the beef meat stock and ghee ready before you begin. Chop the soup vegetables and measure the meatball seasonings, keeping the two onion portions separate. That leaves mixing, shaping, and cooking for the meal itself rather than adding stock-making to the same afternoon.
Refrigerate leftovers promptly in shallow, covered containers instead of leaving the full hot pot on the counter to cool. You can store the meatballs separately from the soup, which makes it easier to portion them evenly again. Reheat the amount you need, allowing the meatballs to become hot through as well as the liquid. The cabbage will be softer after another heating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Cook The Eggs Before Mixing Them Into The Beef?
No. Beat the raw eggs in the mixing bowl, then mix in the beef and other meatball ingredients. The eggs cook with the meatballs. You are not adding pieces of cooked scrambled egg to the mixture.
Why Are The Meatballs Slightly Flat?
A flatter surface has more contact with the skillet, which helps it brown. Keep them small and only gently flatten them. Pressing the mixture into a very thin patty would change the way it cooks and the amount of meat in each bite.
Does The Half Cup Of Water Replace Some Of The Stock?
No. This version uses two quarts of meat stock in the soup pot and a separate half cup of water in the meatball skillet. The pan water helps finish the meatballs after browning. Keeping the two measures separate avoids leaving the vegetable pot short of its stock.
Can I Make A Bigger Batch?
Yes, with a larger soup pot and enough time for the skillet batches. The 2× card doubles the measured ingredients, including both onion amounts. Browning twice as many meatballs in the same skillet takes longer; crowding them together does not make the process faster.
More Soup For The Week
If you want another ground-beef soup with a different flavor, try the Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce Soup. Its tomato base and slow-cooker method make it a separate option for a day when you need a different cooking schedule.
The upcoming Soups & Stews Cookbook will bring more of these meals together for planning beyond one pot. Find current and upcoming resources in the WFLI shop. Keep some homemade meat stock ready, and the next soup starts with one useful job already done.
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