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.
Ryan Don
These have become a regular dinner option in our house. Once of the few things my pick stepchildren will eat. I like to add 3/4 Cup of warm water to the mixture. It yields a slightly lighter meatball. I also use gluten free breadcrumbs and you can’t tell the difference.
Kelley Simmons
Great tip Ryan with the water! I’ll have to give it a try! So glad you and your family enjoyed these meatballs!
TC
I’ve tried many, many meatball recipes waiting to hear my family tell me “this the one”. This is a super easy recipe from start to finish with the best tasting meatballs and sauce. It is hard to believe how easy the sauce is to make yet simply tastes fantastic with the meatballs. I do not need to search any further because my son told me “this is the one”.
I doubled the recipe and froze the leftovers. We ate the frozen portion last night on pasta. I am very happy to have found this recipe! Simply tasty.
Kelley Simmons
I am so glad you enjoyed these meatballs and that you’re family loved them! Thank you so much for trying my recipes!
Anita
I only had ground beef, but it was truly the best Italian meatball I’ve ever made, thanks to your recipe! I halved the recipe since I just used 1 lb. beef, and browned them under the broiler before placing them in the slow cooker. I actually cooked it on low for 8 hours, stirred hourly, and served it with spaghetti pasta, arugula salad, and garlic bread. Definitely one I’ll make over and over!!!
Kelley Simmons
So glad you enjoyed this recipe Anita! Thank you so much for trying my recipe!
Brittany Viss
Hey Kelley!
Can these be heated in the oven? I’m making them for a crowd. Planning on making and cooking the meatballs the day before and then hoping to heat with the sauce in the oven the next day. Any suggestions for this?
Kelley Simmons
Hi Brittany,
You could reheat these up in the oven with the sauce if you like at 350 until warmed through or 165 degrees. You could also reheat on stove top with the sauce or add back to a slow cooker on high and cook until rewarmed.
I hope this helps! Thanks!
Kelley
Sarah
I make these all the time for my family! Great recipe
Kelley Simmons
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much!
Amanda
Oven broken, ugh. Can I cook them in a saute pan instead of broiling?
Kelley Simmons
Hi Amanda,
Yes of course! You will probably have to do this in 2 batches but browning them in the saute pan will work just fine!
Thanks & Enjoy!
Kelley
Cristi
This meant all recipe is delicious! I used hot ground pork sausage. The only issue I had was that my sauce was watery from the grease I believe from the meatballs. What do you recommend? Should I just add more paste or
Is there a way to remove the grease and keep the “sauce”?
Kelley Simmons
Hi Cristi,
You could try skimming the grease with a spoon. I have also heard about the ice cube trick
As far as the sauce being watery I would try thickening it up with some tomato paste or allowing it to simmer longer to thicken.
Thanks and hope this helps!
Kelley
Andrea
does it make a difference if I omit the pork?
Kelley Simmons
Hi Andrea,
You can substitute all ground beef in place of the ground pork.
Thanks and Enjoy!
Kelley
Scott
Unbelievably delicious! Restaurant quality or better! No BS! Super easy to make and minimal clean up! I did not add any salt. This recipe will be made any time I want meatballs! 11 out of 10 rating! Thanks for this recipe! Woo hoo!!!!!
Kelley Simmons
Thank you so much for your kind comment Scott!! I am so glad you enjoyed these meatballs so much!!
Kelly
Hello, I have 2 pounds of 80/20 beef. Can i just use that instead of half ground beef and half pork?
Kelley Simmons
Hi Kelly,
Yes that will work as well!
Thanks and enjoy!
Kelley