Making Crockpot Meatballs

These meatballs cook delightfully soft and juicy right in the slow cooker and are topped with a thick and hearty tomato sauce, so there’s no need to brown or pre-cook them.

Easy prepare Crockpot Meatballs and you’ll have a traditional Italian lunch waiting for you when you get home!

Slow-Cooker Meatballs

Crockpot meatballs are incredibly simple to prepare; just combine the ingredients and let the slow cooker do the rest.

Even though I frequently prepare all-purpose turkey meatballs or homemade meatballs, I still enjoy putting them in the slow cooker and coming home to a meal that is ready to serve.

Ingredients

For this recipe, use lean beef; a small amount of fat is necessary for moisture and texture. Since these aren’t cooked first, you want to avoid using too much fat, but a small bit of fat gives the sauce a deep flavor.

Similar to our oven meatball recipe, these meatballs are made with basic ingredients like Italian breadcrumbs, spices, onion, and parmesan cheese yet are incredibly flavorful.

These cook quickly and deliciously in a straightforward tomato sauce! Diced and crushed tomatoes (or tomato sauce), garlic, and Italian spice are the only ingredients in this straightforward sauce.

After being covered in sauce, crock pot meatballs cook slowly and thoroughly, retaining all the juices and tastes inside each tasty little meatball.

crock pot meatball ingredients on a counter

In a Crockpot, How Do You Make Meatballs?

This recipe for slow-cooked meatballs will become a staple after you try it! They are incredibly simple to make and don’t require baking or frying (which means no extra dishes to wash).

• As specified in the recipe below, combine the ground beef, seasonings, breadcrumbs, and egg.
• Place the raw meatballs in the bottom of the crockpot after rolling them into balls.
• Add sauce on top. Put a lid on it and let the slow cooker cook it!

Do Meatballs Need to Be Cooked Before Being Put in a Crockpot?

No, you don’t need to cook the meatballs before putting them in the slow cooker.

When making Crock Pot Chili or Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese, I frequently brown the ground beef before adding it to the slow cooker. This recipe was created expressly to omit the pre-cooking. Simply combine shapes into balls, and set them in the crockpot’s base.

In my slow cooker Italian meatball recipe, I use lean beef, and the sauce gets an incredible flavor boost from the meatball juices!

What to serve with meatballs from the crockpot?

You may serve crockpot meatballs as an appetizer or a whole meal!

Serve it with your preferred pasta, such as penne or spaghetti.

By placing it over a toasted hoagie roll, adding mozzarella cheese, and broiling it, you can transform it into a meatball sub!

Anything goes with mashed potatoes, so why not meatballs?

Fusilli can be used to make a meatball casserole, which you can then top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 375°F.

Although the sauce in this recipe for homemade crockpot meatballs is tomato-based, you can always switch it up! Try it with honey garlic sauce, BBQ sauce, sweet and sour sauce, or mushroom sauce! The meatball recipe itself is quite adaptable and goes well with almost any sauce!

The meatballs can be made the previous evening and chilled. Simply add to the slow cooker in the morning, add the sauce, and let it do the rest! Once you make meatballs in the crockpot following this technique, I have a feeling you won’t look back!

1. Apply cooking spray to the slow cooker.
2. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the meatballs. 24 meatballs should be made using a tablespoon. Raw meatballs should be in the bottom of the slow cooker.
3. In a big bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients. Pour over the meatballs and cook for 3–4 hours on high.
4. serving with spaghetti.

Nutrition