You need to try this Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs recipe asap! I know that the Instant Pot is all the rage right now, and I do love mine, but lets not forget about our good old slow cooker! I really love to throw a few things into my crockpot in the morning and then just forget about it until evening, when like magic we have a wonderful warm dinner all ready to enjoy! This slow cooker spaghetti sauce and meatballs recipe is pure comfort food and since it always turns out so good, it has become one of my favorite things to make in my slow cooker. Everybody loves spaghetti and meatballs and the leftovers make the BEST meatball subs! I posted about this Meatball sub idea years ago here. Easy and delish!
This slow cooker spaghetti sauce and meatballs recipe makes a lot which I LOVE. Cook once and eat twice–always a welcome idea in my kitchen! It freezes well too, so I always freeze some for later! The rich and flavorful sauce is the perfect vehicle to slowly cook meatballs to perfection! I am telling you this recipe is just an all around winner! I think you should add this one to your dinner rotation, for sure!
*Try to find a can of Fire Roasted diced tomatoes for this recipe. They really do add a lot of great flavor, but regular diced will work too, of course!
*To easily make this dish gluten free simply use gluten free bread crumbs in the meatballs and serve over gluten free noodles. That is how I make it for my two boys with Celiac.
And here is what was posted in the past…can you believe our blog is 10 years old this month?!
One Year Ago: Hot Cheesy Caprese Dip
Two Years Ago: Lasagna Soup
Three Years Ago: My Version of the Famous Swig Cookie
Four Years Ago: Lumberjack Chili
Five Years Ago: Baked Chicken Teriyaki
Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
For the marinara sauce:
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (28-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ to 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 fresh garlic cloves, finely chopped or minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the meatballs:
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup plain panko bread crumbs ( I use Gluten Free with great results)
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more when serving
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
To Serve:
- 1 lb. cooked spaghetti noodles or your favorite pasta ( we like angel hair pasta)
- fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
- freshly grated parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
For the marinara sauce:
- Into the bowl of a large sized slow cooker, add the chopped onion, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, minced garlic and salt. Stir well to combine.
For the meatballs:
- In a separate large mixing bowl, mix together all of the meatball ingredients. Using either your hands or a rubber spatula, mix the raw meatball mixture until thoroughly combined.
- Form into meatballs; I recommend using a tablespoon sized cookie scoop to scoop out the meatball mixture. This also helps to ensure that all of your meatballs are roughly the same size. The mixture will make roughly about 30+ meatballs. You can cook them all in the sauce or freeze half (raw) for later.
- Position the meatballs into the marinara sauce and make sure each meatball is covered and submerged into the sauce.
- Cover the slow cooker with a lid and cook until the meatballs are cooked through: about 4 hours on a HIGH setting or 8 hours on a LOW setting.
To serve:
- Place cooked pasta into dish or bowl, top with marinara sauce and meatballs and sprinkle with chopped parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese.
- Enjoy!!
Recipe Source: slightly adapted from Hip Foodie Mom
Congrats on the new grandbaby! And have fun in Seattle–one of my favorite places! That is exciting and yes I would love to see a picture of your Cannon Jay:)
Congrats on the new grandbaby! And have fun in Seattle–one of my favorite places! That is exciting and yes I would love to see a picture of your Cannon Jay:)
My Cannon Jay will turn 16 next month! I am out of town helping with a new grandbaby in Seattle right now, but when I get home I will try to remember to email you a picture of Cannon and also a picture of the recipe for meatballs in my pampered chef cookbook. 🙂
My Cannon Jay will turn 16 next month! I am out of town helping with a new grandbaby in Seattle right now, but when I get home I will try to remember to email you a picture of Cannon and also a picture of the recipe for meatballs in my pampered chef cookbook. 🙂
Hey Jen— the oats is a great idea! I actually found GF bread crumbs at Aldis but they are hard to find ( not a regular item they carry) so I will definitely try oats! You’re so thoughtful! And I didn’t know you had a Cannon Jay too! How fun!! How old is he?! My Cannon thinks that is so cool!
Hey Jen— the oats is a great idea! I actually found GF bread crumbs at Aldis but they are hard to find ( not a regular item they carry) so I will definitely try oats! You’re so thoughtful! And I didn’t know you had a Cannon Jay too! How fun!! How old is he?! My Cannon thinks that is so cool!
Melanie, I am going to try this soon! How wonderful to put it all in the crockpot and be done. I have a similar recipe from a Pampered Chef cookbook (not a crockpot recipe) that uses oats in the meatballs instead of bread crumbs and I thought you might want to try oats in yours for your gluten free boys since oats are cheap and healthy. We like the meatballs with oats. Thanks for all of your work sharing your yummy recipes with us. We love your oatmeal and brown sugar muffins. And lots of your other recipes as well!
P.S. I think I’ve told you this before, but I have a Cannon Jay too! 🙂
Melanie, I am going to try this soon! How wonderful to put it all in the crockpot and be done. I have a similar recipe from a Pampered Chef cookbook (not a crockpot recipe) that uses oats in the meatballs instead of bread crumbs and I thought you might want to try oats in yours for your gluten free boys since oats are cheap and healthy. We like the meatballs with oats. Thanks for all of your work sharing your yummy recipes with us. We love your oatmeal and brown sugar muffins. And lots of your other recipes as well!
P.S. I think I’ve told you this before, but I have a Cannon Jay too! 🙂