This Crockpot Meatball Recipe makes the most perfect Italian meatballs. Created off of my grandmother’s Italian meatballs, this recipe is perfect for busy nights.
In the quest to find dinners that we can walk away from during the rush of busy afternoons, let me introduce you to these amazing Crockpot Meatballs. Based off my amazing grandmother’s recipe, they are an easy way to get dinner on the table in a rush.
I promise you that your family will love this incredible slow cooker recipe.
How to Make Crockpot Meatballs
- Combine the ingredients. Add all of the ingredients for the meatballs to a bowl.
- Form them into meatballs. We love to use a cookie scoop to make them uniform.
- Add to the crockpot. Pour some tomato sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the meatballs in a single layer avoiding them touching the sides. Pour more tomato sauce over the meatballs and add another layer. Continue adding layers, topping the last layer with the remaining tomato sauce.
- Cook the meatballs. Cook on low for 2 to 3 hours or on high for 1 to 2 hours.
Meatballs with Pork and Beef
We love meatballs made with turkey, chicken, and the combination of pork and beef. For these, we went off of my grandmother’s recipe and she always used a pork and beef combination.
The combination of pork and beef with a ratio of 2:1 makes for the best flavor and the perfect meaty taste and texture.
Eliminating the Panade from Meatballs
A panade is a combination of bread soaked with water or milk that makes a meatball recipe just perfect. We tried this recipe several different ways after my grandma’s meatballs which uses Italian bread soaked in water.
What we found is the combination of the panade and cooking in the slow cooker left the meatballs really mushy. This was true even if we broiled them first. My expert meatball testers (my meatball loving children) decided that it was best to eliminate the panade completely.
Cutting out Broiling and Frying
Another change we made to this recipe was eliminating the frying. Grandma always pan fried her meatballs to give them a nice crisp exterior. Rather than going through that whole process to just put them in a slow cooker, we decided to try sticking them under the broiler.
What we found was, not only did that added step create more work, it made for a meatball that was more likely to over cook and burn in the slow cooker. Additionally, because of the sauce that they are cooking in, the crisp exterior is kind of lost on these.
Making Your Own Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs
If all you have on hand is plain breadcrumbs, no worries at all. You can easily make them Italian seasoned by adding some of our homemade Italian Seasoning to them. Add 1 teaspoon to a cup of plain breadcrumbs and they are ready to go.
FAQ
Yes! Make these meatballs the night before. Place them on a baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil. The next day put them in the slow cooker and proceed with cooking.
Yes! I suggest making your own breadcrumbs out of gluten free bread and then adding 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
Yes. This recipe will work with ground turkey and chicken as well. Please refer to our turkey meatball and chicken meatball recipe for what we enjoy best.
As slow cookers vary greatly, the cooking time is a range. Your slow cooker might need more or less time. To guarantee that your meatballs are safe to eat, use an instant read thermometer. They are ready to eat once they are 160 degrees. Sometimes ground pork still appears pink when it has reached 160 degrees.
What to Serve with Crockpot Meatballs
When looking for what to serve with this crockpot meatball recipe, we always eat them over pasta. But here are a few of our favorite side dishes:
If you make this slow cooker meatball recipe or any of our other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think.
Crockpot Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (I use 85%)
- 1/2 pound ground pork unseasoned
- 2 eggs whisked
- 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- 2 cups tomato sauce (just canned tomato sauce, not spaghetti sauce)
Instructions
- Combine the meat, eggs, and parsley in a large bowl Then add the dry bread crumbs, parmesan, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop the meatballs and roll them into into consistent balls.
- Pour a small amount of the tomato sauce into the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the meatballs in a single layer. Cover with more tomato sauce. Continue layering the meatballs and tomato sauce until they are all added.
- Cook on low for 2 to 3 hours or on high for 1 to 2 hours. Or until the meatballs reach 160 degrees. They may have a little pinkness inside of them as pork can still appear pink at 160 degrees. (See note.)
Notes
Lin Johnson says
Hi Lisa! lin here. I haven’t made these meatballs, yet, but I am going to and I will let you know, but I’m sure they they are wonderful as all your recipes are. You always cheer me up when I see an email from you. Thank you for that. Keep the recipes coming.
Thank you so much for this sweet note, Lin!
rochelle says
good the time been and best