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.
Scott Johnston
I just made these meatballs. The taste is fantastic!! My girls requested I make the again. We ate the as is with a nice salad. Next time we’re going to make meatball subs with melted mozzarella. Thanks Kelly for this great recipe!!!
Kelley
Yah! So happy you enjoyed them Scott!! Thanks so much!
Julia
This is amazing. Came out great! I did put a little marinara with crushed tomatoes. Also The cooking took a little over 3 hours on low. Didn’t you say 4 hours?
Cheryl Deger
Please May I Ask: could I make & brown the meatballs the day before? Then the day of party add them to the sauce & cook them on high for the fours hours? Thank You…
Kelley Simmons
Yes absolutely!
Stacy
Great recipe! The meatballs smell and taste amazing. I love the red pepper flakes, gives it a kick.
Sarah
These are so good and easy! Thank you!!
Tabetha
Can they be cooked for longer than 4 hours? I would love to start the crickpot before heading to work in the am, but do not work close enough to go home to turn to the crockpot on mid-day…
Kelley
Hi Tabetha,
I have not tried cooking it for longer than 4 hours so it is hard to say for sure. However I looked up a couple other slow cooker meatballs and some went for 6-8 hours so you should be fine. My other suggestion would be to cook for 6 hours and then the crockpot will automatically cook on the warm setting. If yours has that setting it should be good!
Thanks!
Kelley
Amanda
These are the best meatballs ever!!! Such an easy recipe, my 10 year old did much of the work!
YUM
Juanita
Hello,
I’m planing on making these tomorrow but I don’t have ground pork! Do I absolutely need it or can I just use ground beef?.
Kristen
Meatloaf mixture is what I used. I pre made these for tomorrow yet forgot to brown them. So that will be my task for the morning lol
TONY BOSCH
I do my own version of these and use 2/3 ground beef to 1/3 hot Italian sausage. Then I throw a couple pounds of the sausage into the sauce so it cooks in. You’ll find you need to spoon off a fair amount of grease/fat but OMG….really good. Another thing is the crushed red pepper. I like mine really spicy so I put a lot in. What I’ve found is the flavor doesn’t fully integrate until the next day. So try making it the day before and reheating…totally changes the flavor profile and is just amazing.
Elizabeth
I have been using this recipe for several months. Today I will just broil the meatballs for use in a variety of sauces. I have no idea how that will work out, but I have high hopes. I like the idea of having these on hand & frozen for those busy days when I know there is no time to cook. Thanks for such a great and easy recipe!
Kelley
Hi Elizabeth,
I think you should make out just find broiling and freezing!
Thanks!
Kelley
Rachel Tiemeyer from Thriving Home
Hey Elizabeth,
I run a site about freezer cooking and noticed a few comments on here about broiling the meatballs first and then freezing. But I know the USDA recommends that you never partially cook meat and freeze it. It can become a hot-bed for bacteria growth. So, I would recommend fully cooking the meatballs and freezing in the sauce OR freezing the meatballs raw and separate from the sauce. Then, just thaw them and broil before adding to the slow cooker. I hope that helps!
Barbara Knox Echard
I received 5 Stars from my adult kids which never happens. Easy and Delicious!
Debbie
They just went in crock & I can hardly wait. The recipe was soooo easy