Crockpot Meatballs
These Crockpot Meatballs are the ultimate slow-cooked dinner. Enjoy homemade Italian Meatballs in a rich tomato sauce with just a 15-minute prep!
Easy Crockpot Meatballs
This Italian-Style dinner will be one that your family requests again and again and you’ll love how simple it is to make! Serve them over spaghetti or Spaghetti Squash for everyone’s favorite Spaghetti and Meatballs or add them to a toasted sub roll!
They’re perfect to make on busy weeknights, requiring only a little bit of prep and several hours of hands-off time. Delicious juicy meatballs have never been easier to make!
Mix up these Easy Crockpot Meatballs in the morning and stick ‘em in the slow cooker while you continue your day. The result is tender, Don’t forget to serve it with Homemade Garlic Bread!
Rebecca’s Recipe Review
Taste: Mouthwatering Italian Meatballs drenched in a homemade marinara sauce.
Texture: Tender, moist meatballs in thick sauce.
Ease: 4/10
Pros: You’ll love how quick the prep is and that you can essentially set it and forget it and dinner will be waiting for you when you’re hungry!
Cons: None.
Would I Make This Again? Yes! This is a great recipe to freeze and enjoy during busier seasons of life.
This was a fantastic recipe. It was easy to make and the whole family enjoyed it, even the baby! I’m looking forward to my leftovers tomorrow for lunch!
– Jessica
Ingredients For Crockpot Meatballs
This Crockpot Meatball Recipe is extra tender and delicious. The base of the recipe is just ground beef, but you could also use just ground beef or you could do a third of each: beef, lamb, and pork.
Panko breadcrumbs and an egg act as the binding agents in this recipe. The meat is loaded with spices and herbs like garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, basil, parsley, and oregano. This recipe has a ton of flavor packed in!
They are then slow-cooked in a delicious marinara sauce! The sauce comes together quickly with crushed tomatoes, paste, and sauce and a delicious blend of seasonings.
How To Make Meatballs In The Crockpot
1. In a large bowl, mix together the meatball ingredients with your hands until fully combined.
2. Roll the mixture into 12 or 18 evenly sized balls and add the meatballs to the bottom of a crock pot. You can spray the bottom of the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray just to be safe.
3. Add in the sauce ingredients and give them a gentle stir to coat. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours. Cooking times may vary depending on the size of the meatballs.
Rebecca’s Tips
I tested this recipe off and on for over a year to make sure it was perfect. And the end result is so simple that I almost can’t believe it myself! We wanted a super easy go-to dish that didn’t sacrifice flavor and I think we’ve nailed it!
Searing Overcomplicates Things: We tried searing the meatballs first and we found that they often broke apart resulting in more of a meat sauce and made the recipe prep unnecessarily complicated. The flavor gain wasn’t worth the hassle in my opinion.
No Need To Bake: We tried baking and broiling the meatballs on a baking sheet but felt like it didn’t really add anything to the dish. Again, just another step with no real benefit. However, it is a key step in our Sweet and Sour Meatballs recipe!
Crockpot FTW! My husband’s Italian side of the family will simmer their meatballs in the gravy (Italian sauce) all day. So we figured it wouldn’t hurt the meatballs to just cook from start to finish in the crockpot.
No Draining Required! Don’t worry about the fat from the meatballs. Normally when you sear them you’d drain off the fat before adding the sauce ingredients. But we actually found that it gave the sauce a great flavor and we didn’t experience any separation in the sauce itself.
Use Panko! We tried this recipe with both panko and traditional breadcrumbs and we liked the texture of panko much more. The Italian breadcrumbs seemed to leave the meatballs a bit gummy.
Season! Don’t be afraid of the large number of seasonings in this recipe. You can add salt and pepper to taste if you’d like, but don’t omit the herbs, garlic, or onion – you NEED that flavor!
What To Serve With Meatballs
Make a big batch of these Slow Cooker Meatballs, and save them in the fridge and eat them all week.
Pasta: Over pasta is always a good idea and don’t forget to top your plates with lots of fresh shredded Parmesan cheese!
Subs: Or, you can make some tasty meatball subs with the addition of melted mozzarella layered between slices of baguette.
Pizza: The other way I love eating leftover meatballs is sliced up and on pizza. It might sound weird, but it’s sooo good! Use the marinara as your pizza sauce and dollop some ricotta on it too – YUM!
Storage Instructions For Meatballs
The meatballs can remain in the crockpot on the warm setting for up to 4 hours after cooking. After that, you can transfer them into an airtight container to store in the fridge to enjoy for up 3 to 4 days.
To Freeze: Cook the meatballs according to the recipe instructions then simply allow the meatballs and sauce to cool completely. You can even put them in the fridge overnight and freeze the next day.
Then transfer the meatballs and sauce to gallon freezer bags. I recommend dividing the full recipe between at least two bags or whatever works for you portion-wise. Squeeze out any excess air.
More Italian Inspired Recipes!
- Spaghetti Bolognese – A quick tomato-based sauce loaded with ground beef and spices!
- Blackberry Buttermilk Panna Cotta – An impressive dessert that’s deliciously light and creamy!
- Spaghetti Pie – Traditional spaghetti gets an innovative twist!
- Boozy Tiramisu – Made with mascarpone laced pudding instead of the traditional egg custard!
- Baked Ziti – Dinner hits the table in just 35 minutes!
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let leave a review in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos, or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there.
Crockpot Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef1
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs2
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Sauce
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves3 minced
- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 15 oz. can tomato sauce no salt added
- 6 oz. can tomato paste no salt added
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¾ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the meatball ingredients with your hands until fully combined.
- Roll the mixture into 12 or 18 evenly sized balls and place them in the bottom of a crockpot. Just to be safe, spray the bottom of the crockpot with cooking spray before adding the meatballs.
- Add in the sauce ingredients and give them a gentle stir. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours.4
Video
Notes
- You could also use 1/2 pound each of ground beef and ground lamb or 1/3 pound each of ground beef, lamb, and pork.
- You can use regular breadcrumbs, but I think they give the meatballs a gummier texture.
- You can also use 1 tablespoon of garlic paste or minced garlic instead of garlic cloves.
- Cooking times may vary depending on the size of the meatballs.
- The nutritional information is an extimate for the listed ingredients without substitutions for 12 meatballs and 6 servings (2 meatballs each).
- Shelf Life:
- In Crockpot: On “warm” setting for up to 4 hours after cooking.
- Refrigerator: 3 to 4 days in an air-tight container.
- Freezer: 3 months
- How To Freeze: Cook the meatballs according to the recipe instructions then simply allow the meatballs and sauce to cool completely. You can even put them in the fridge overnight and freeze the next day. Then transfer the meatballs and sauce to gallon freezer bags. I recommend dividing the full recipe between at least two bags or whatever works for you portion-wise. Squeeze out any excess air.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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So easy to make and delicious! They hold together beautifully and are nice and tender. Delicious!
First time trying and this was AMAZING!! I served it on an open roll topped with mozzarella cheese and threw it on a low broil for about 4 min to melt the cheese. I’ve never tried Panko before but I trusted (a little — I did crush it a little inside a plastic bag) and I’ve never had such moist meatballs. I also went a little light on the seasoning and then after two hours tasted and added more…it’s always easier to add in. Thank you! This one is a keeper.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s one of our favorites too!
This was a fantastic recipe. It was easy to make and the whole family enjoyed it, even the baby! I’m looking forward to my leftovers tomorrow for lunch 🙂
Enjoy! Our daughter loves it too and it reheats well!
As an Italian I believe I’m a connoisseur on meatballs and yours look drool worthy. I really like that you put them in the crockpot to give them a long slow cook. So tasty!! And the beauty of those meatballs is that you can save them as leftovers to put on a sandwich. Ahhh, yes!! My mouth is watering.
Hope you love them!