Crockpot Italian Meatballs Recipe

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These meatballs are soft, juicy, and full of flavor. They cook up nice and tender in the slow cooker with a rich tomato sauce. It’s the kind of dish you can throw together in the morning and let it cook while you get on with your day. Come suppertime, just boil up some noodles or toast some bread and dinner’s ready.

What You Need

• 2-pound ground beef, 80/20 if you can get it
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cans crushed tomatoes, 24 ounces each
• 1 can tomato paste, 6 ounces
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• More salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh basil or extra cheese if you want

Things You’ll Need

• Big mixing bowl
• Baking sheet
• Broiler or oven
• Slow cooker
• Cookie scoop if you got one

What To Do

1. Mix it all up
   Get yourself a big bowl. Put in the beef, onion, garlic, parsley, breadcrumbs, eggs, cheese, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to mix it. Not too much, just till it comes together
2. Roll the meatballs
   Make 1 to 2 inch balls. I usually get 24 out of this. Set them on a baking sheet
3. Brown them
   Turn on the broiler. Grease your baking sheet or use foil. Broil the meatballs about 4 to 5 minutes on each side till they’re brown. You don’t have to cook them all the way through
4. Into the crockpot
   Put the meatballs in the slow cooker. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Drop in the bay leaves, pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning
5. Let it cook
   Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. When it’s done, give it a taste and add salt and pepper if you need to
6. Serve it up
   Spoon the meatballs over hot noodles or crusty bread. Sprinkle some fresh basil or more cheese on top if you like

A Few Handy Notes

• Don’t stir the meat too much or your meatballs will get tough
• Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to keep the meatballs the same size
• Wet your hands a bit if the meat sticks while rolling
• Browning the meatballs makes them taste better, don’t skip it
• These freeze up real good, with or without the sauce

Leftovers and Such

If you’ve got leftovers, just spoon them into a container and keep them in the fridge for up to four days. When you’re ready to eat, warm them on the stove or in the microwave until heated through. These meatballs freeze real well too. Let everything cool down first, then pack the meatballs and sauce into freezer bags or a sealed container. They’ll keep just fine for about three months. To reheat, warm them in a pot on the stove or pop them back into the slow cooker on low. If the sauce thickens too much, just add a splash of water.

About How Good It Is For You

Makes 6 servings
Each serving has about 527 calories
34 grams of protein
15 grams of carbs
36 grams of fat

That’s just a guess based on usual ingredients. If it’s important to you, best check with someone who tracks these things