Million Dollar Meatball Stew

It's a tradition in our house to have pork, greens, and black-eyed peas on New Years Day! They are traditional symbols of luck and prosperity for New Year’s celebrations, especially in Southern cuisine. Check out this meatball twist on a classic dish!

Million Dollar Meatball Stew

Prep Time: 45

Cook Time: 25

To kick off the New Year with a touch of luck and indulgence, I made a hearty Million Dollar Meatball Stew packed with rich, flavorful ingredients. Tender, savory meatballs simmered in a rich chicken broth, crushed and fire roasted tomatoes, with mushrooms, onions, garlic, black-eyed peas and kale. There is also some chipotles in adobo along with some warm spices like cumin, chiptole pepper, chili and oregano. This stew wasn’t just delicious - by combining pork, black-eyed peas, and greens on New Year's Day you will take part in the time-honored tradition symbolizing luck and prosperity for the year ahead.

Black-eyed peas symbolize coins, and the greens represent money. Those two ingredients as well as pork are believed to bring prosperity. Pigs also symbolize forward progress, making this dish a hit for New Year's to bring good fortune to the year to come! It's a comforting dish that I have loved and I decided to put my own spin on it with some extra spices and of course meatballs!

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Ingredients

For the Meatballs

½ lb ground pork
½ lb Jimmy Dean's Hot Sausage
1 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
2 eggs
2 tbs chipotles in adobo
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper to taste

For the Stew

2 quarts chicken or turkey broth
1 14.5 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tbs butter
2 8 oz packages mushrooms diced
1 small onion diced
¼ cup cream sherry
3 cups cooked black-eyed peas
1 tbs chili powder
1 tbs chipotle pepper powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 bunch kale chopped finely
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Meatballs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
In a bowl combine ground pork and Jimmy Dean's Hot sausage, breadcrumbs, eggs, chipotles in adobo that have been minced or blended, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper.
Take a small scoop of the meat mixture and roll it in your hand. Since these meatballs are going in soup be mindful of the size of the meatballs - they need to be easy to eat with a spoon.
Place the rolled meatballs onto a greased and foil lined baking sheet
Bake in the oven for 25 mins and set aside when finished cooking

For the Stew

In a large pot combine the chicken or turkey broth, hand-crushed whole tomatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes, garlic, spices, and cooked black-eyed peas.
In a different pan sautee the mushrooms and onions until they have a little brown color on them. Depending on the heat level this can take 5-10 mins.
Once the mushrooms and onions have a little color, add the cream sherry to the pan to deglaze the pan and add a little more flavor to the mushrooms and onions
Once the alcohol has burned off add the mushrooms and onions to the broth.
Chop up the kale into small pieces and add that to the broth
When you are ready to serve, pour the stew into a bowl and add as many meatballs as you'd like and enjoy!

Bowl of Million Dollar Meatball Stew Meatball ingredients before mixing

I've made Million Dollar Stew for New Year's Day before but with a pork roast. I decided that it would be fin to change it up a but and make some spicy pork meatballs to go in the stew instead.

Pork represents progress and forward motion, as pigs root forward while eating, symbolizing advancement in the coming year. Black-eyed peas are believed to bring good fortune, with their abundance symbolizing coins or wealth. Greens, like collard or mustard greens, represent paper money and financial prosperity. Together, these dishes create a flavorful, meaningful meal that’s both delicious and steeped in tradition to start the year off right.

Using spicy Jimmy Dean’s sausage for pork meatballs adds a bold, flavorful kick that elevates this classic dish. The sausage’s blend of spices and rich pork flavor eliminates the need for extensive seasoning, making it a quick, convenient and delicious choice for meatball recipes - especially this one since we use some chipotles in adobo sauce that have a good kick to them.

Baking sheet lined with tinfoil with 32 raw Million Dollar Meatball Stew meatballs before cooking

Using meatballs in the Million Dollar Stew recipe makes this dish quick, easy, and incredibly satisfying. My recipe for these homemade meatballs add a flavorful, tender protein that soaks up the rich, hearty broth while saving you time in the kitchen. Simply add the cooked meatballs to the stew during the simmering process, and they’ll infuse the dish with their savory goodness. Perfect for a laid back New Year's Day where you can whip this dish together, throw it in a crock pot, and serve it for dinner.

The meatballs have a little kick to them on their own because I use some chipotles in adobo sauce in the meatball mixture as well as Jimmy Dean's Hot sausage. I have Jimmy Dean's Hot sausage in the freezer at all times since it's so versatile. I use it for everything including the classic hot sausage dip, spicy sausage soups with staples from the pantry or homemade dumplings. We love a little spice in our house so this recipe is right up our alley.

Closeup of a bowl of Million Dollar Meatball Stew with some iced tea in the background

Luck foods on New Year’s Day are a delicious way to welcome prosperity and good fortune in the year ahead. Traditional dishes like pork, symbolizing progress, black-eyed peas for wealth, and greens representing money, are staples in many cultures, especially in the Southern United States. Cornbread often accompanies these dishes, symbolizing gold and abundance. Around the world, other lucky foods like fish, lentils, and round fruits are enjoyed to bring health, wealth, and success. Incorporating these symbolic foods into your New Year’s Day meal is a tasty way to start the year with positivity and hope.

I have always loved the flavors of Million Dollar Stew so given my obsession with meatballs I decided to turn this wonderful dish into my Million Dollar Meatball Stew. Meatballs are so easy to whip together and bake in the oven quickly. They can be stored in the fridge until you want to throw them in the stew and they can simmer for a pretty long time - infusing their delicious flavor into the hearty broth. I hope you love this stew as much as I do - especially with this meatball twist!