Slow Cooker Italian Meatballs and Sauce
Slow cooker Italian ground beef meatballs & tomato sauce is an easy CrockPot recipe. Tender & juicy seasoned meatballs is a family favorite. Great to serve with pasta or on a roll for a hot sandwich no one can resist.
Equipment
- CrockPot slow cooker
Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Sauce Ingredients
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups Rao's marinara sauce or other jarred sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
Instructions
Mix & Bake the Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- In a medium bowl add the ground beef, breadcrumbs, parmesan, egg, milk, onion, and spices. Mix thoroughly into the ground beef using your hands - they work best.
- Form the mixture into medium-sized balls with your hands and place on a baking sheet. Use 3 tablespoons for each. Repeat and leave 1" between meatballs. This makes about 12 meatballs.
- Bake on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.
Make the Sauce & Add the Meatballs
- In the slow cooker add the crushed tomatoes, jarred pasta sauce, minced garlic, & dried basil. Stir to combine. Set the CrockPot to low for 4 hours.
- When the meatballs are done cooking, carefully add them to the sauce. Stir gently to combine. Make sure the meatballs are mostly submerged in the sauce.
- Keep the lid on the CrockPot and let them slow cook in the tomato sauce for 4 hours. You can also set it to High and cook for 2 hours.
- Stir ocassionally to keep sauce from sticking or burning to the edges. The meatballs are done when the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
Notes
STORING & REHEATING:
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the Crockpot or in a pot on the stove.
The meatballs can be made and par-baked ahead of time and frozen for up to 90 days to use later. Add frozen meatballs to sauce and simmer for hours as directly.
This recipe makes 6 servings. Each serving is 2 meatballs & sauce. The nutritional information will vary based on type of jarred sauce used, type of ground meat, etc.
Nutrition
Calories: 172kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 10gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 530mgPotassium: 273mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 261IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 79mgIron: 2mg
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