My kids love spaghetti and meatballs, okay so does this big kid. What I don’t love is all the time spent slaving over the stove. So the last time I made meatballs I decided to try them out in the crock pot. I was thrilled they came out soooooo yummy. On the plus side this recipe can be a freezer/crock pot meal too. Just make the meatballs ahead of time, freeze individually on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and then toss into a freezer bag. Then when you are ready to cook throw them into the crock pot with the tomato sauce make some pasta and viola DINNER! These would also make some delish meatball sub sandwiches. I hope your family will enjoy these as much as we did.
Easy crock pot meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage
- 1 medium onion chopped finely
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 c bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper
Sauce
- 3 (8oz) cans tomato sauce
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 1 (12 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
- Pasta
- Mozzarella Cheese
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine ingredients for meatballs.
- With hands shape mixture into chosen size of ball. I made smaller ones because they are easier for the little kids to eat also they cook up faster and you get more balls that way.
- Place meatballs in crock pot. I cooked half and froze the rest (see above on how to freeze). Pour tomato sauce, paste, and crushed tomatoes over the meatballs.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Make pasta according to directions on box and grate cheese over the top.
Just wanted to say thank you for this fabulous meatball recipe! I did not cook in the crock pot today, as I just wanted to try the recipe and tweak it a bit. I made 36 one inch meatballs, and because it is just Hubby and I, I am freezing 18 and using 18 in spaghetti sauce today. I baked them in the oven for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. Instead of ground beef, I used 14 oz mild sweet Italian sausage and 14 oz hot Italian sausage! They are a bit spicy, but will mellow out in sauce! Wonderful easy recipe and I had all ingredients in my pantry – those are the best recipes to have! Love you site and have really enjoyed trying new recipes I’ve found here! Thanks for all your recipes!
Thank you so much Linda! Glad the recipe worked out for you, I love it when people tweak the recipe to their tastes and let us know how it works out! Good to have you here.
I confess, next time I will cut the “hot” Italian sausage back to 7 oz. These are good, but REALLY came out hot! My first success at meatballs! Thanks so much!
Linda