These Crockpot Meatballs will melt in your mouth! They are incredibly tender, loaded with Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley and garlic. Simmered low and slow for 4 hours in a homemade tomato sauce. This will be your go to Sunday Dinner!
Love meatball recipes?! Then give my Asian Turkey Meatballs or my Old School Italian Meatball Recipe a try!
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Crockpot Italian Meatballs
Who doesn’t love meatballs? Especially when they are cooked low and slow in a crockpot. These authentic beef meatballs are easy to make, versatile and can be made in advance and frozen for quick weeknight meals. The meatballs are melt in your mouth tender thanks to the combination of beef and pork. This truly is the best Italian meatball recipe!
Rich, meaty, hearty and comforting these Italian Meatballs are the perfect meal for busy weeknights or Sunday dinner. You will need a little bit of prep time to throw the meatballs together. The most time consuming part of this recipe is forming the meatballs.
The sauce is super simple as well. Simmering the sauce low and slow for 4 hours makes the sauce super thick, rich and loaded with flavor. I add some crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning and bay leaves for extra flavor.
This recipe makes enough to serve 6-8 people and always leaves tons of leftovers!
Crockpot Meatball Ingredients
- Meat: For the best tender and flavorful meatballs I like to do a combination of ground beef and ground pork! Look for a 80 / 20 ground beef for juicer / tender meatballs.
- Onion: Minced yellow onion is added for flavor. To make mincing easier you could also grate the onion with a cheese grater.
- Garlic: 2 minced garlic cloves are added. Add more if your a garlic lover!
- Parsley: Fresh chopped parsley really brightens up these meatballs. I also love the pop of green!
- Italian Breadcrumbs: I always opt for Italian breadcrumbs for the extra seasonings and salt that it adds to the meatballs. You can use panko if you have that on hand just make sure to sprinkle in some extra seasoning and salt.
- Eggs: Act as the binder for the meatballs and help to hold everything together.
- Parmesan Cheese: Add a bit of salt and a pop of flavor to the meatballs. You can use pre-grated or shred your own parmesan cheese.
- Crushed Tomatoes: Are the base of the sauce. If you only have whole tomatoes or diced tomatoes simply pulse it a couple times in the food processor before adding to the crockpot.
- Tomato Paste: Helps to thicken up the sauce.
- Seasonings: Crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasonings, salt, pepper and bay leaves are added to the tomato sauce. Feel free to omit the crushed red pepper flakes if you don’t want the touch of spice.
how to make crockpot meatballs
- Add beef, pork, onion, garlic, parsley, breadcrumbs, eggs and cheese to a large bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix with your hands until combined. Make sure not to over-mix. The more you mix the meatball mixture the tougher it will become.
- Form into 1 or 2 inch meatballs. I made 24 meatballs.
- Lightly grease a baking sheet. Broil meatballs on high until browned on each side. About 4-5 minutes on each side.
- Add meatballs to crockpot. Top with crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning.
- Cook on low for 4 hours. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with basil or parmesan cheese for serving, if desired.
Kelley’s tips
- Do not over mix: I combine the ingredients with my hands just until it’s combined. That’s it. The more you work the mixture the tougher the meatballs will be.
- Wet your hands to help with rolling: When you portion the meatballs they tend to get a little sticky. I recommend wetting your hands with water before you start rolling out your meatballs.
- Buy 80/20 beef: If you can find it 80/20 beef makes the best crockpot meatballs. They turn out super juicy and tender.
- Freeze leftovers: This recipe makes tons of meatballs. Freeze the extras in an airtight container for up to 3 months for a quick weeknight meal. You can freeze the meatballs either par cooked (just broiled) or fully cooked.
- Brown meatballs: It’s important to sear the meatballs before adding them to the slow cooker. This helps to keep the juices inside. I brown the meatballs under the broiler on a sheet tray to get a nice caramelization on the outside.
- Baked Meatballs: If you are short on time try my Easy 30 Minute Meatball Recipe. Perfect for a busy weeknight!
- Use a cookie scoop: To easily portion out perfectly round meatballs. It saves on time and keeps everything consistent.
- Reheat: To warm up leftovers simply add the meatballs back to the crockpot and warm up on low heat with the sauce. Or heat them up in a saucepan on the stove until warmed through.
What to serve with Crockpot Meatballs
- Pasta Carbonara
- Pasta with Garlic and Oil
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Broccoli
- Roasted Cauliflower
- Pesto Gnocchi
- Air Fryer Vegetables
- Garlic Bread
- Focaccia
- Side Salad
- Serve on a roll with provolone to make a meatball sub!
- Creamy Polenta
Here are more Easy Meatball Recipes to try!
- Thai Red Curry Chicken Meatballs
- Easy Teriyaki Beef Meatballs
- Turkey Meatballs with Arugula and Mushrooms
- Asian Style Chicken Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Asian Sesame Meatballs
- Italian Meatball Soup
products used
Slow Cooker Italian Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1/4 cup onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- salt and pepper
- 2 24 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- basil for serving, if desired
- parmesan cheese for serving, if desired
Instructions
- Add beef, pork, onion, garlic, parsley, breadcrumbs, eggs and cheese to a large bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix with your hands until combined.
- Form into 1 or 2 inch meatballs. I made 24 meatballs.
- Lightly grease a baking sheet. Broil meatballs on high until browned on each side. About 4-5 minutes on each side.
- Add meatballs to slow cooker. Top with crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning.
- Cook on low for 4 hours. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with basil or parmesan cheese for serving, if desired.
Nutrition Information
Did you make this?
I’d love to hear your feedback! Leave a review and make sure to share your pictures on social media! Don’t forget to follow @thechefsavvy.
Adri
These meatballs sound wonderful. I love it when meatballs are tender. Sometimes they are just dreadful – almost like little rubber balls. I bet your slow cooker method, along iwth not overmixing, solves that problem. This is my first visit to your site, and I will be back!
Kelley
Thank you so much Adri!
Beeta
Mmm these meatballs sound like such a wonderful meal. I love that you brown the meatballs first before putting them in the slow cooker. It’s also great that this makes a lot so that you can freeze the rest for another time. Love this – pinning!
Dannii
I am so excited to get my slow cooker out and start making comforting meals. We are not eating meat at the moment, but I am going to make some lentil meatballs soon!
Gayle
These meatballs look just perfect, Kelley! I’ve never tried cooking them in the slow cooker before, so I’m loving this idea. I bet your house smelled amazing when these were simmering!
Julie
There’s nothing like a big plate of pasta and meatballs! I love that you make these in the slow cooker. I bet they soak up all that amazing flavor from the sauce!
Annie
Does it get any better than a big pot of meatballs?! I love everything about this! Total comfort food!
Kelly
Meatballs are the ultimate comfort food! These look perfect, Kelley! Love that you made them in the slow cooker!
Vicky
The meatballs will be tasty for sure. I added a few tablespoons of water to the mixture. The sauce Is cooking right now. I used 4Tbls of tomato paste from the tube. I tasted the sauce and it needed something, so added dried basil, oregano, about a half cup of red wine, 2 cloves crushed garlic, and the parm cheese rinds. I don’t know why I’m reviewing because I added extra ingredients. Like most recipes, it’s a good starting point with tweaks to fit your own taste. Vicky
Mike
Bit degrading really!!
Donna Williams
I love this recipe. My boy’s love it & it’s easy & the meatballs always turn out moist & delicious!
Thank you for the recipe.
Czarina
I came across this recipe and it sounded delicious and easy to make. I don’t have fresh parsley, can I use dried parsley?
Great recipes!
Kelley
Hi!
Yes you may use dried parsley instead.
Thank you!
Kelley
Wayne
Hi,
Should I broil the meatballs before freezing??
thanks
Wayne
Kelley
Hi Wayne,
I prefer to cook them before freezing them.
Thanks!
Kelley
Shana
Cook them per the recipe? But then you have all the sauce to freeze as well. Do you cook them a different way without the sauce for freezing?
Kelley
Hi Shana,
When I freeze these I freeze with the sauce as well and heat them up on low in a saucepan. I would highly suggest cooking them with the sauce. (It adds a lot of flavor and keeps the meatballs tender when they get simmered on low in the sauce).
You could always scoop the meatballs out after cooking and freeze them separately from the sauce.
Hope this helps & you enjoy! Thanks,
Kelley
Claire
1st time maker here ??♀️ and only 2nd time using the slowcooker so new to this. My meatballs are in the pot now.I made my meatballs slightly bigger than yours, do you think 4 hours cooking will still be ok? I browned then before they went in.
Nathan
Hi Claire,
Sorry for the late reply. 4 hours should still be fine, but the best way to know for sure is a thermometer, inserted in the center reading 160-165 degrees farenheit. I hope you enjoyed them. Thank you for commenting!
Nathan