Rustic Root Vegetable Soup with Beef Meatballs, the AIP Way

Some nights the kindest thing you can do is let 1 pot do the work while you rest. Load the slow cooker in the morning, walk away, and by evening the house smells like a farmhouse kitchen, no trick to it beyond time and real ingredients.

The roots carry this dish. Carrots are a source of beta-carotene, which the body uses to make vitamin A, involved in supporting the integrity of the gut lining and immune tissue. The beef meatballs add protein and bioavailable iron, and the bone-broth base brings collagen and minerals that a long, low cook draws out over time.

There was an animal here, and there were people who grew these roots out of the ground. When you ladle this up, let that register for a moment. A real meal, made of real things and set down with a little reverence, is its own quiet form of care.

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped carrots
• 2 cups chopped golden beets
• 2 cups chopped turnips
• 2 cups chopped parsnips
• 1 1/2 cups chopped leeks (white and green parts)
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 quarts chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (for the meatballs)
• 1 tablespoon dried cilantro

Swaps made: none beyond the source's own AIP adaptation. The meatballs are bound without egg or breadcrumb, which keeps them elimination-compliant as written.

Method

• Add the carrots, golden beets, turnips, parsnips, leeks, garlic, chicken broth, sea salt, rosemary, and thyme to the slow cooker. Stir once so the salt distributes.
• In a bowl, combine the ground beef, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and the dried cilantro. Mix by hand just until it holds together. Roll into tablespoon-size meatballs and rest them on top of the vegetables.
• Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the root vegetables are fork-tender and the meatballs are cooked through.
• Lift out and discard the rosemary and thyme sprigs. Ladle the vegetables, meatballs, and broth into bowls and serve hot.

Instant Pot variation

You can run this in the Instant Pot two ways. For the hands-off slow path, use the Slow Cook setting and follow the same 8 to 10 hours on low. For the fast path, add everything as in step 1, set the meatballs on top, seal, and cook on high pressure for about 25 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before venting (these pressure times come from the source author and are untested in our kitchen, so check doneness and adjust). If you want a deeper, more browned flavor, use the Saute function first to brown the meatballs in a little olive oil before adding the vegetables and broth, then proceed.

*Adapted from a-squirrel-in-the-kitchen*