Crockpot Italian Meatballs – Homemade Italian meatballs are the perfect easy weeknight meal cooked low and slow in your slow cooker. Serve on a bed of warm spaghetti or on toasty buns for a delicious meatball sandwich.
Who doesn’t love a good meatball?! My crockpot meatballs are not only super easy, but they are tender and delicious and melt in your mouth with every single bite. When it comes to food, a homemade, comforting meal is definitely my weak spot and what’s more comforting that homemade meatballs with spaghetti.
I love this recipe so much because you can toss everything into the slow cooker, forget about it for 7 hours and come back to the amazing Italian aromas filling your home. You can serve the meatballs over a bed of spaghetti, on a hot roll as a meatball sub sandwich or they are so delicious by themselves as an appetizer for a party!
This recipe serves about 4 people. So, if you are cooking for a crowd, simply double the recipe.
Ingredients you need to make Italian Meatballs:
Ground Beef – I recommend using a leaner ground beef. I used 88/12. I would recommend using 85 or leaner to prevent the meatballs from shrinking up.
Parmesan Cheese – You’ll need parmesan cheese to top the sandwiches with and to put in the meatball mixture.
Egg – This will go into the meatball mixture to help hold the meatballs together.
Onion – You can use yellow, white or red onion in this recipe.
Garlic Cloves – Fresh garlic is best.
Worcestershire Sauce – Adds a really nice flavor to the meatballs.
Breadcrumbs – You can use panko or Italian breadcrumbs. Ritz crackers are also amazing in this recipe!
Basil – Fresh or dried basil both work great in this recipe.
Oregano – Fresh or dried oregano both work great in this recipe.
Parsley – Fresh or dried parsley both work great in this recipe.
All-Purpose Flour – Assists in holding the meatballs together nicely while baking.
Brown Sugar – Adds a nice slight sweetness to the meatball. You can use light or dark brown sugar.
Ketchup – If you don’t have ketchup, you can use tomato sauce instead.
Mustard – Yellow mustard or grainy/dijon mustard all work great.
Black Pepper – Fresh cracked or ground.
Salt – I used sea salt, but you can use your favorite cooking salt.
Tomato Sauce – One 15 oz. can.
Diced Tomatoes – One 15 oz can.
Tools to have on hand for this recipe:
How to make my Crockpot Italian Meatballs:
For the Meatballs: Add all ingredients, except for the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, to a large bowl and mix well to combine.
Form into medium sized meatballs and place into the bottom of your crockpot. Evenly pour tomato sauce on top of the meatballs, followed by the diced tomatoes.
Turn crockpot on low and cook for 7 hours.
When done, serve meatballs over a bed of spaghetti or on a hot roll for a meatball sub sandwich.
Here are a few delicious bread recipes that go amazing with homemade meatballs:
Buttery Garlic Breadsticks – These breadsticks are soft, chewy, mouthwatering good! The dough is made from scratch then lathered in fresh garlic butter and baked to golden perfection.
Rustic French Bread – DELICIOUS French Bread recipe you can easily make in the comfort of your home! There is nothing better than the smell of freshly baked bread.
Texas Toast – Warm, buttery and delicious thick cut garlic bread with a secret ingredient toasted to golden perfection.
If you enjoyed this recipe, here are a few more recipes I think you’ll love:
Creamy Chicken & Sausage Pasta – Penne pasta with shredded rotisserie chicken and sausage tossed in a delicious creamy parmesan sauce.
Creamy Tomato Cajun Chicken Pasta – Cajun chicken and farfalle pasta tossed in deliciously creamy tomato sauce sprinkled with fresh chopped parsley and green onions.
Classic Sausage Lasagna – Super delicious and simple lasagna recipe made with sausage, homemade robust tomato sauce, mozzarella and ricotta cheese. This is the perfect family and kid friendly comfort meal.
Chicken Parmesan – (Chicken Parmigiana) Crispy breaded baked chicken topped with melted mozzarella cheese. Serve over a bed of pasta with marinara sauce.
Crockpot Italian Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced (about 1.5 tsp)
- 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
Instructions
- For the Meatballs: Add all ingredients, except for the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, to a large bowl and mix well to combine.
- Form into medium sized meatballs and place into the bottom of your crockpot. Evenly pour tomato sauce on top of the meatballs, followed by the diced tomatoes.
- Turn crockpot on low and cook for 7 hours.
- When done, serve meatballs over a bed of spaghetti or on a hot roll for a meatball sub sandwich.
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