Here’s a simple and tasty Slow Cooker Meatballs recipe 🍝 — perfect for hands-off cooking and super flavorful.
🍖 Slow Cooker Meatballs
Ingredients (makes ~20 meatballs)
For the meatballs
- 1 lb (450 g) ground beef (or mix beef + pork)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the sauce
- 2 cups marinara sauce (store-bought or homemade)
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning (optional)
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional, for a little heat)
Instructions
- Make meatballs
- In a bowl, combine ground meat, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, egg, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper.
- Mix gently until just combined.
- Form meatballs
- Shape mixture into 1½-inch meatballs.
- Prepare slow cooker
- Pour marinara sauce into the slow cooker.
- Gently place meatballs into the sauce.
- Cook
- Cover and cook on low 6–7 hours or high 3–4 hours until meatballs are cooked through and tender.
- Serve
- Serve meatballs and sauce over pasta, rice, or in a sub sandwich.
- Garnish with extra Parmesan and fresh parsley.
💡 Tips
- Do not overmix meatballs — keeps them tender.
- For extra flavor, brown meatballs in a skillet before adding to slow cooker.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove meatballs if you want less sauce for serving.
- Meatballs can also be frozen uncooked and cooked later in sauce.
🌟 Variations
- Swedish meatballs: Use a creamy gravy instead of tomato sauce.
- BBQ meatballs: Use BBQ sauce instead of marinara.
- Spicy Italian: Add red pepper flakes and Italian herbs.
- Mini meatballs: Perfect for appetizers or party trays.
I can also give you a super-juicy, restaurant-style slow cooker meatball recipe that stays tender all day and absorbs tons of sauce flavor.
Do you want me to do that?
