This spicy make-ahead meatball stew is the perfect recipe to make on an early autumn weekend to enjoy later in the busy work week. After all, I think that we can all agree, that most soups, stews, and chilis taste better when enjoyed a few days later. This fall stew has a lovely peppery warmth thanks to black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes, and the Oktoberfest lager it contains helps to add a delightful depth of flavor. And in orzo pasta and baked meatballs, and this stew becomes an amazingly flavorful and filling busy weeknight comfort meal.

Y’all, fall has definitely arrived full-force here in Virginia. Now sure there are days when the temperature reaches almost 90 degrees, however, there are also quite a few cool, breezy, and absolutely delightful 70 degree days as well. You know, the kind of days that make you just want to get outside and go for a walk because sooner than you can ever possibly imagine, winter will definitely be a thing, and going for a walk outside will seem like absolute “Oh, hell to the no.” torture.

But for now y’all, it’s fall, so let’s enjoy it. And what better way to do that than with a bowl of warm, spicy, peppery meatball stew? And since it is autumn, after all, why not add in some Oktoberfest lager? Because let me tell you, there is just about nothing in this world better than an Oktoberfest beer. Except for maybe enjoying an Oktoberfest beer while cuddling up with a certain little kitty on the couch, after a long day spent decorating The Historic Herndon Halloween House.

That’s right. I went there. I skip danced twirled right by autumn and jumped straight to Halloween. Because that’s what I do. I spend my fall weekend days in the kitchen making stew so that I can spend my busy weeknights fluffing skeletons for over-the-top adorable Halloween displays. It takes a lot of time for Halloween perfection; days, weeks, months. So, don’t judge me for getting an early start. Instead, why not make some stew, drink some Oktoberfest, and get to decorating?

Ingredients:

Stew:

• 2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 5 Celery Ribs, Finely Chopped
• 3 Large Carrots, Finely Chopped
• 1 Large Sweet Yellow Onion, Finely Chopped
• 2 Small Fennel Bulbs, Finley Chopped
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 6 Cups Low-Sodium Chicken Stock
• 1 (12-oz.) Oktoberfest Lager
• 1/4 Cup of Orzo

Meatballs:

• 2 Slices White Sandwich Bread
• 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 Teaspoon Fennel Seed
• 1/2 Teaspoon Sweet Hungarian Paprika
• 1 Pound Ground Chicken
• 1 Pound Sweet Italian Sausage

Directions:

Stew:

1. Place the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot, over medium heat. Add the celery, carrots, onion, fennel, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, or until soft, stirring often.
2. Add the chicken stock and beer and increase the heat to medium-high.
3. Make the meatballs according to the directions below.
4. When you place the meatballs into the oven add the orzo to the Dutch oven or stockpot. Stir to combine.
5. When you remove the meatballs from the oven, add them to the stew and continue to simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
6. Allow the soup to cool slightly before storing it in a container or containers for future use.

Meatballs:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place the bread in a food processor and process until bread crumbs are created.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parsley, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, fennel seed, and paprika.
• Add the chicken and sausage to the bowl and then use your hands to evenly distribute the seasonings throughout the meat.
• Form the meatballs into 1-inch balls with the palms of your hand. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet liberally sprayed or coated with olive oil.
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• Flip the meatballs over and then bake them for an additional 10 minutes.

Suggestions:

• You can enjoy this stew right away, however, like most soups, stews, and chilis, it tastes much better after being refrigerated for a day or two. This is the perfect recipe to make on a Sunday afternoon and refrigerate for later in the week when you are too busy to make dinner.
• I used two bulbs of fennel in this stew because they were extremely small. If you have a larger bulb of fennel, one should be enough. You will only need the bulb of the fennel for this recipe, so make sure to remove the stalks and fronds.
• You can use any type of lager for this recipe, however, Oktoberfest lager adds a lovely depth of flavor. I used Samuel Adams Oktoberfest for this recipe.
• This stew does not have a lot of liquid, if you prefer more, add 1 to 2 cups of chicken stock or water.
• Any type or combination of ground meat can be used in this recipe. I used chicken and sausage because it is what I had on hand. If your sausage comes in links instead of loose, simply remove and discard the sausage casings.
• You can brown the meatballs in a skillet if you prefer. I bake them in an oven to prevent making an oily mess out of my stovetop.
• If you aren’t a huge fan of peppery spice, reduce the amount of black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes used in the stew and meatballs.

Improvements:

• Use the fennel fronds for garnish.
• Not a fan of fennel, or simply don’t have it available? Leave it out completely, or replace it with additional celery, carrots, or green pepper.
• CLICK HERE for a full list of our past soup, chili, stew, and chowder recipes.
• Replace the orzo with broken spaghetti noodles or any other variety of small-shaped pasta.
• Serve this with grilled cheese sandwiches, crackers, this Soda Bread with Whiskey-Soaked Golden Raisins, or these Soda-Glazed Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings.

Print

Yum

Make-Ahead Spicy Oktoberfest Meatball Stew

Ingredients:

Stew:
• 2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 5 Celery Ribs, Finely Chopped
• 3 Large Carrots, Finely Chopped
• 1 Large Sweet Yellow Onion, Finely Chopped
• 2 Small Fennel Bulbs, Finley Chopped
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 6 Cups Low-Sodium Chicken Stock
• 1 (12-oz.) Oktoberfest Lager
• 1/4 Cup of Orzo
Meatballs:
• 2 Slices White Sandwich Bread
• 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 Teaspoon Fennel Seed
• 1/2 Teaspoon Sweet Hungarian Paprika
• 1 Pound Ground Chicken
• 1 Pound Sweet Italian Sausage

Directions:

Stew:
1. Place the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot, over medium heat. Add the celery, carrots, onion, fennel, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, or until soft, stirring often.
2. Add the chicken stock and beer and increase the heat to medium-high.
3. Make the meatballs according to the directions below.
4. When you place the meatballs into the oven add the orzo to the Dutch oven or stockpot. Stir to combine.
5. When you remove the meatballs from the oven, add them to the stew and continue to simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
6. Allow the soup to cool slightly before storing it in a container or containers for future use.
Meatballs:
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
8. Place the bread in a food processor and process until bread crumbs are created.
9. In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parsley, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, fennel seed, and paprika.
10. Add the chicken and sausage to the bowl and then use your hands to evenly distribute the seasonings throughout the meat.
11. Form the meatballs into 1-inch balls with the palms of your hand. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet liberally sprayed or coated with olive oil.
12. Bake for 10 minutes.
13. Flip the meatballs over and then bake them for an additional 10 minutes.

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