Crockpot Meatballs
Tender, juicy, and exploding with flavor, these easy-to-make Italian Crockpot Meatballs will surely become your newest recipe obsession!
Homemade Crockpot Meatballs are exactly what you need for spaghetti, subs, and stroganoff—all your Italian favorites! Savory beef and pork, combined with milk, eggs, and bread crumbs, are seasoned with parmesan and spices and slow-cooked in your favorite tomato sauce for a rich, incredible taste! This simple recipe is so savory and delicious that you’ll never want to buy frozen meatballs again!
Fall in Love with These Versatile (and Perfect) Meatballs!
If you don’t already have a serious crush on Italian meatballs (maybe your former experience was boring, disappointing, chewy ground beef that left you dreaming of your “soulmeat”), you must fall in love with this slow cooker recipe!
Juicy, tender, and great in flavor, our homemade beef and pork meatballs have just the right ratio of meat to breadcrumbs to give them that soft, tender texture you crave! And because this is a crockpot recipe, you can throw it together in the morning, let it simmer throughout the day, and then come home to a glorious dinner—just add pasta!
You can also make these savory little bites for baked ziti, pizza, or minestrone, or simply top them with a creamy gravy and serve them over mashed potatoes. Wow!
Other Recipes to Make with Homemade Meatballs
- Use these mouthwatering Crockpot Meatballs to make Easy Baked Tortellini and Meatballs for your next family dinner!
- Homemade meatballs would also be a great addition to Slow Cooker Cheesy Spaghetti and Meatballs!
Ingredients
Meat: Meatballs can be made from almost any kind of ground meat, but our Italian homemade Crockpot Meatballs use lean ground beef and pork for incredible flavor!
Filler: The filler ingredients are not just fluff—they serve a purpose! Eggs are used for binding so your meatballs don’t fall apart, and milk and panko breadcrumbs add softness and moisture.
Seasonings: These meatballs are filled with Italian goodness, like parmesan cheese, parsley, sea salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
Sauce: To simmer the meatballs in the slow cooker, you’ll need a couple of jars of your favorite tomato sauce.
Garnish: A little freshly chopped parsley makes a beautiful garnish on the finished meatballs!
How to Make Crockpot Meatballs
STEP ONE: Lightly spray the inside of the crockpot with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, add the meats, eggs, milk, breadcrumbs, and seasonings, and use your hands to mix until well combined.
STEP TWO: Use a spoon or cookie scoop to make about 24 uniformly-sized meatballs and place them in the bottom of the crock pot.
STEP THREE: Pour all the sauce over the meatballs and set to cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 hours or until thoroughly cooked.
STEP FOUR: Serve with pasta (or however you want to eat it!) and garnish with a little additional parmesan and grated parsley. Enjoy!
Tips for Success
- Don’t overmix the ingredients. Too much mixing can make them a little tough.
- Uniformity is key when making meatballs! We used a 3-tbsp cookie scoop to make ours.
- Freshly grated parmesan is so worth the extra minute!
- Don’t let stale bread go to waste – turn them into “make your own” breadcrumbs for this meatball recipe.
- If you have the extra time, lightly frying the meatballs in a skillet before you toss them into the crockpot gives them a nice braised texture.
What’s the Best Way to Cook Meatballs?
There are so many ways to cook meatballs, and they are all fantastic! Raw meatballs (beef, Italian sausage, pork, turkey, chicken, lamb – or a combination – it doesn’t matter what kind!) can be baked in the oven, skillet-fried, deep-fried, or dropped directly into the pasta sauce in a big cooking pot on the stove or in the slow cooker (the easiest way!) and simmered to absolute Italian perfection! You can also lightly brown them in the oven or a skillet BEFORE tossing them into the sauce pot or crock pot.
Can You Freeze Meatballs?
Meatballs – both cooked and uncooked – freeze well! Place raw meatballs on parchment paper on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer for 2 hours. Once solid, transfer them to a large ziplock freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw completely and follow the original cooking instructions. Cool completely for cooked meatballs in pasta sauce before sealing airtight and freezing. Allow to thaw just enough to pop the contents back into a pot or slow cooker to rewarm.
Other Marvelous, Yummy Meatball Recipes!
- Turkey Meatballs
- Thai Coconut Cocktail Meatballs
- Teriyaki Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
- Cranberry BBQ Meatballs
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Crockpot Meatballs
Equipment
- Cookie Scoop (3-tablespoon size)
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese shredded
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- ¼ cup milk (2% or whole)
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 large eggs
- 48 ounces marinara sauce (2 jars)
- Fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
- Parmesan cheese shredded, for garnish
- Cooked pasta for serving
Instructions
- Coat the inside of the crock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, panko, parmesan, parsley, milk, Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder, and eggs until evenly mixed.
- Use a large cookie scoop (or a 1-tablespoon measuring spoon) to scoop 3-tablespoon portions of the meatball mixture. Roll each scoop into a ball. Place the meatballs in the bottom of the prepared crockpot.
- Pour the marinara sauce over the meatballs. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2.5 hours or until the meatballs are cooked through.
- Serve over cooked pasta topped with shredded parmesan and chopped parsley. You can also turn the crockpot to WARM and serve the meatballs with toothpicks for a party appetizer.
