Crock Pot Meatballs {Italian Style}

These Italian Style meatballs are broiled then slow cooked in spaghetti sauce all day for a tender, moist and flavorful meatball to pile on top of spaghetti! These Crock Pot Meatballs will be a go-to dinner recipe that your family will love. They can also be served plain as an appetizer.

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If there’s any dinner that my family LOVES, it’s spaghetti and meatballs. They could have it every night and be perfectly happy! I love it, too, so to make it really easy, I make crock pot meatballs – they simmer all day for an easy dinner.

You Will Love This Easy Meatball Recipe!

What makes this recipe special are the two easy steps – making and browning the meatballs in the oven and then simmering them in the slow cooker. The browning gives them tons of flavor!

You can prep and brown them early in the day and then leave them to cook in the tomato sauce. When it’s time for dinner just boil the spaghetti and serve! We love these meatballs with some breadsticks for soaking up all the sauce.

I’ve also made these Italian meatballs as an appetizer for parties. Instead of serving them with pasta, I just keep them warm in the crock pot and serve them as cocktail meatballs.

Whether you serve them for dinner or as a snack, you are going to love this meatball recipe!

Ingredients Notes

I love this recipe because it’s mostly pantry ingredients!

Meatballs: These are ground beef meatballs made with breadcrumbs, egg and flavored with onion, garlic, dried herbs, and parmesan cheese. They have tons of flavor!

Sauce: The sauce is really easy – all you need is your favorite marinara sauce, canned diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce.

How to Make the Best Crock Pot Meatballs

Mix: Combine the beef, breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic, onion, egg, cheese, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.

Roll: Shape the meat mixture into 1” balls and place them on a prepared baking sheet.

Broil: Place the meatballs under the broiler for eight minutes. You are only browning them – they don’t need to be cooked all the way through.

Sauce: Combine the marinara, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce in the slow cooker.

Cook: Place the meatballs in the sauce, secure the lid, and cook them on low for six to eight hours. You can also cook them on high for three to four hours.

Ways to Serve Them!

• Cook spaghetti and spoon the sauce and meatballs over the top. Add some grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley for an amazing pasta dinner.
• Use the meatballs to make sandwiches! Pile them in sliced rolls and top with cheese. Put the sandwiches under the broiler until the cheese is melted.
• You can keep them warm in the slow cooker and serve them as an appetizer for parties, too!

Are you ready to make these amazing crock pot meatballs for your family? They’re always a hit when I make them. Add the ingredients to your shopping list so you can make them this week!

More Slow Cooker Dinner Recipes

I love easy crock pot recipes – here are some others you should try, too!

• Use your crock pot to make the best Lasagna! This is the best comfort food dinner that is so easy to make.
• For a hearty dinner, make my Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs. They are full of flavor with a rich sauce that’s great with egg noodles.
• Meatloaf with Veggies is a complete meal you can make in your slow cooker, too!
• Learn how to make Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie for a cozy comfort food dinner!

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5 from 7 votes

Italian Style Crock Pot Meatballs

Homemade meatballs that are broiled then slow cooked in a homemade spaghetti sauce are tender and delicious!

Prep:15 minutes mins

Cook:6 hours hrs

Total:6 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ½ lbs ground beef
• ▢ ¾ c. Italian style breadcrumbs
• ▢ 1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
• ▢ 1 tsp minced garlic
• ▢ ½ c. minced onion
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ ¼ c. grated parmesan cheese
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ▢ 28 oz marinara sauce
• ▢ 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
• ▢ 15 oz can tomato sauce

Instructions

• Preheat the broiler too high. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic, onion, egg, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Mix until just combined.
• Shape beef mixture into 1 inch meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet.
• Broil the meatballs until just browned for about 8 minutes. They do NOT need to be cooked all the way through.
• While the meatballs are cooking, add the marinara sauce, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce to the crock pot. Stir to combine.
• Add meatballs to the slow cooker and gently stir to combine.
• Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
• Serve meatballs on top of cooked spaghetti. Top with parmesan cheese and minced parsley if desired. You can also serve these alone as an appetizer.

Tips

• We used a 6 quart crock pot for this recipe.
• Technically, you do not need to broil these meatballs before you place them in the slow cooker, but it helps them retain their shape and gives them so much flavor so it’s worth the extra step!

Video

Nutrition Information

Calories: 484kcal (24%), Carbohydrates: 38g (13%), Protein: 33g (66%), Fat: 23g (35%), Saturated Fat: 9g (56%), Cholesterol: 113mg (38%), Sodium: 2005mg (87%), Potassium: 1254mg (36%), Fiber: 5g (21%), Sugar: 13g (14%), Vitamin A: 1085IU (22%), Vitamin C: 23mg (28%), Calcium: 241mg (24%), Iron: 7mg (39%)

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We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box is calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.