Easy Crockpot Italian Meatballs smothered in a homemade marinara sauce made with Italian herbs and balsamic vinegar. This recipe comes together in minutes and will have everybody begging for seconds!
Crockpot Meatballs are always a good idea! This easy recipe with a simple tomato sauce delivers big on flavor and makes a perfect comfort food served with your favorite pasta.
Before I started to make meatballs in my slow cooker, making them was a real hassle! My kitchen was sprinkled with tomato sauce and oil from frying the meatballs. Often the meatballs weren’t cooked through and I ended up with many meatball-halves because I had to check several times if they are not longer pink inside.
But making them in the crockpot makes my life so much easier without compromising on taste! There’s no need to fry the meatballs before adding them to the sauce, just make the meatballs and drop them into the crockpot.
This recipe is also great to serve a crowd. Double or even triple the recipe and use a bigger slow cooker. I promise your guests will be begging for seconds!
Pasta is probably my all time favorite food! No matter if it’s Lasagna or Spaghetti alla Carbonara, I love everything with pasta. The best pasta shape to serve with these Crockpot Italian Meatballs are spaghetti. But every pasta shape will do the job just fine! (I my pasta brand of choice is Barilla or De Cecco because they taste the best in my opinion!)
Sprinkle some freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top and enjoy a delicious stress-free meal which pleases everyone around your dinner table! The meatballs are soft, juicy, and full of flavor because they’re cooked in the marinara sauce. Make them as big or as small as you like and don’t leave out the balsamic vinegar in the marinara sauce which gives it depth and complexity.
You see making Italian Meatballs from scratch is really easy and you don’t need to renovate your kitchen after making them!
Easy Crockpot Italian Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Marinara Sauce:
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- ½ white onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the Italian Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ cup breadcrumbs or panko crumbs
- 1 egg, large
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make the marinara sauce: Combine the crushed tomatoes, onions, garlic, chili powder, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dried oregano, salt, and pepper in the bowl of the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Prepare the meatballs: Combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, dijon mustard, oregano, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Use your fingers to work the meatball mixture together. Work only until all the ingredients are evenly combined.
- To shape the meatballs, pinch off a few tablespoons of meatball mixture and shape into balls with your hands. Place them in the tomato sauce. Scoop a little sauce over the top of the meatballs so that they're coated and submerged.
- Cook for 4 to 6 hours on low. The meatballs are done when they're no longer pink in the middle. Serve over spaghetti with freshly grated parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.
Nutrition Information
Guinevere says
Hi Julia,
Instead of a crockpot, could I cook these in a pressure cooker? Like after 1 or 2 whistles, do I keep it on simmer for like an hour or so?
Really wanna make this on my son’s 3rd birthday!!
Thanks!
Julia Foerster says
Sorry, Guinevere, I have never made this recipe in a pressure cooker so I can’t really help.
Judy Jiles says
Omg! FINALLY! !!!! A recipe that’s NOT SWEET! ! Almost all of the recipes I found have grape jelly or lots of brown sugar! !!! Can’t wait to make these! !!!!! Sounds delicious! !!! THANK YOU! ! !
Keith @ How's it Lookin? says
They look so good. Italian food is my favorite, thanks a lot