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Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs

March 19, 2017 by hipfoodiemom 30 Comments

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Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs – Use your slow cooker to make the easiest, most flavorful homemade marinara sauce and meatballs! Your family will love gathering around the dinner table to enjoy this delicious spaghetti and meatballs recipe.

How To Make Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs

I’m staying positive and can start to see signs of spring. There’s no more snow on the ground so that’s one thing. And even though we’re not in super cold temps anymore, my slow cooker is still holding real estate on my kitchen counter. Why? It’s a time saver!

Who else is still using your slow cooker?! Although these appliances aren’t really used year round, they should be. I love the recipes where you can literally dump and go. And that’s what you are doing here with this Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe!

I mean, just look at these meatballs!

Meatballs made in the slow cooker

MY SLOW COOKER SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS RECIPE

I love to make spaghetti and meatballs any day of the week, and using your slow cooker creates that incredible cooked-all-day depth of flavor with little effort on your part. In other words, easily put everything together in the morning – either before work during the week or before you start you relaxing fun on the weekends – and be ready to welcome the fragrant smells of fresh marinara sauce and meatballs that evening.

All you’ll need to do is boil your pasta before dinner time!

WHAT INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE SLOW COOKER SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

First off, for this recipe and any recipe using canned diced tomatoes, I highly recommend trying fire roasted diced tomatoes. These are a game changer as far as flavor is concerned. Just try them!

FOR THE MARINARA SAUCE

  • Yellow onion – finely chopped
  • Crushed tomatoes
  • Fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • Chunky tomato sauce
  • Italian seasoning
  • Garlic powder
  • Garlic cloves – finely chopped or minced
  • Kosher salt

FOR THE MEATBALLS

  • Lean ground beef
  • Small onion – finely chopped
  • Garlic cloves – minced
  • Large eggs
  • Panko bread crumbs
  • Grated Parmesan cheese – with a handful reserved for serving
  • Italian seasoning
  • Kosher salt
  • Ground black pepper

Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs

HOW TO MAKE SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS IN THE SLOW COOKER

It is super, terrifically, wonderfully simple to make the marinara sauce for this recipe!

Into the bowl of a large sized slow cooker, add the chopped onion, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chunky tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, minced garlic and salt. Stir well to combine.

Here’s how you make your meatballs:

  1. In a separate large mixing bowl, mix together all of the meatball ingredients. Using either your hands or a rubber spatula, mix the raw meatball mixture until thoroughly combined.
  2. Form into meatballs; I recommend using a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to scoop out the meatball mixture. This also helps to ensure that all of your meatballs are roughly the same size. The mixture will make roughly about 30+ meatballs. I placed 20 into the slow cooker, and saved the rest to freeze and enjoy later.
  3. Position the meatballs into the marinara sauce, and make sure each meatball is covered and submerged into the sauce.
  4. Cover the slow cooker with a lid and cook until the meatballs are cooked through: about 4 hours on a HIGH setting or 8 hours on a LOW setting.

That’s it!

How to Make Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs

Personally, I’m ok with turning on your slow cooker and leaving the house. Certainly, if your slow cooker is old and on the fritz, I obviously would not recommend it; however, if your slow cooker is in prime working condition, you are fine. When I worked full-time at an ad agency, I would leave my slow cooker on low all day while I was gone and it was fine!

NOTE: I do not throw my pasta into the slow cooker when making this recipe. There are some recipes online that do this. I figure you can come home from work, and cook pasta on the stove, right before you’re sitting down to dinner. I’m big on al dente and the perfect tasting noodles, so I just cook them on the stove.

If you do try throwing them into your slow cooker at the end, let me know how it goes!

Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs

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Print Recipe

Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs

Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs - Use your slow cooker to make the easiest, most flavorful homemade marinara sauce and meatballs! Your family will love gathering around the dinner table to enjoy this delicious spaghetti and meatballs recipe.
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Cook Time4 hours hrs
Total Time4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Course: Dinner, Main
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: meatballs, slow cooker spaghetti and meatballs, spaghetti, spaghetti and meatballs
Servings: 4 to 6
Author: Hip Foodie Mom

Ingredients

For the marinara sauce:

  • 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 28-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1 28-ounce can chunky tomato sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 fresh garlic cloves finely chopped or minced
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the meatballs:

  • 2 pounds lean ground beef or a mix of ground beef and ground pork
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 1 to 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup plain panko bread crumbs
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more when serving
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the spaghetti and meatballs:

  • 1 lb. cooked spaghetti noodles
  • fresh parsley finely diced for garnish

Instructions

For the marinara sauce:

  • Into the bowl of a large sized slow cooker, add the chopped onion, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chunky tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, minced garlic and salt. Stir well to combine.

For the meatballs:

  • In a separate large mixing bowl, mix together all of the meatball ingredients. Using either your hands or a rubber spatula, mix the raw meatball mixture until thoroughly combined.
  • Form into meatballs; I recommend using a tablespoon sized cookie scoop to scoop out the meatball mixture. This also helps to ensure that all of your meatballs are roughly the same size. The mixture will make roughly about 30+ meatballs. I placed 20 into the slow cooker and saved the rest.*
  • Position the meatballs into the marinara sauce and make sure each meatball is covered and submerged into the sauce.
  • Cover the slow cooker with a lid and cook until the meatballs are cooked through: about 4 hours on a HIGH setting or 8 hours on a LOW setting.

When ready to serve:

  • Place cooked spaghetti pasta into dish or bowl, top with some marinara sauce and meatballs and sprinkle with diced parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve and enjoy immediately!

Notes

NOTE: I did not cook my pasta in the slow cooker. Cook your pasta separately on the stove. *Recipe makes about 31-32 meatballs so freeze any leftovers or bake the remaining at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes (or until cooked through) and make meatball subs for another night!

I hope you guys try this recipe! My husband and I were amazed that these meatballs and the sauce were cooked in the slow cooker!.This is definitely one of my family’s favorite dinners – and I’m sure it will become a fast favorite of yours, too!

Recipe adapted from Today.com here.

Give this recipe a try, and leave a comment to let me know what you think!

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Filed Under: Meals, Pasta, Slow Cooker Recipes Tagged With: dinner, meatballs, slow cooker, spaghetti, spaghetti and meatballs, tomatoes

Previous Post: « Healthy Weekly Meal Plan 3.18.17
Next Post: The Best Zucchini Banana Bread »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kristen

    March 19, 2017 at 1:35 pm

    What do you mean, chunky tomato sauce? Thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • hipfoodiemom

      March 20, 2017 at 7:21 am

      Hi Kristen, you can buy a 28oz can of chunky or regular tomato sauce. It’s right next to the canned diced tomatoes at the grocery store! Let me know how the recipe works for you! Have a great day!

      Reply
  2. Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen

    March 20, 2017 at 8:14 am

    Always looking for an excuse to pull out my slow cooker Alice! And my husband’s favorite meal is spaghetti and meatballs! Can’t wait to try!

    Reply
  3. Annie

    March 20, 2017 at 9:43 am

    Yum! I love easy meals like this and my family loves pasta. Thanks!

    Reply
  4. Matt

    March 20, 2017 at 9:46 am

    My kids could live on spaghetti and meatballs, gotta make this easy version for them soon!

    Reply
  5. naomi

    March 20, 2017 at 9:49 am

    I’m always a fan of busting out the slow cooker, especially for meals like this!

    Reply
  6. Gina @ Running to the Kitchen

    March 20, 2017 at 8:29 pm

    Jealous you can see ground without snow, we’re still buried! So I’m all about the slow cooker still and this classic dish sounds perfect!

    Reply
  7. Tieghan

    March 20, 2017 at 11:34 pm

    These look SO perfect! Love the easy of the crockpot too! Yes and YUM! 🙂

    Reply
  8. mira

    March 21, 2017 at 10:56 am

    Love spaghetti and meatballs! These look perfect! Pinned to try them!

    Reply
  9. Asha Shivakumar

    March 21, 2017 at 3:36 pm

    They look so perfect. Love making meals in my slow cooker and that sauce Alice, yum.

    Reply
  10. Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

    March 22, 2017 at 9:46 am

    I use my crockpot year round – I’m obsessed! Loving this spaghetti!

    Reply
  11. Heather@WillSingForDessert

    March 22, 2017 at 11:36 am

    This looks incredible. I may need to add this to the menu this week!

    Reply
  12. Paul Choi

    April 2, 2017 at 4:46 pm

    😉

    Reply
  13. Paul Choi

    April 2, 2017 at 4:48 pm

    I can tell you firsthand, that this is amazing… 😉

    From,
    Hip Foodie Dad

    Reply
    • hipfoodiemom

      April 3, 2017 at 1:49 am

      Thanks honey!!

      Reply
      • Michal Cohen

        April 15, 2018 at 8:13 pm

        Hi
        What can replace the cheese, I can’t have dairy.
        Thx, Michal.

        Reply
        • hipfoodiemom

          April 15, 2018 at 8:53 pm

          Hi Michal, try nutritional yeast! Or, for the meatballs, simply omit the cheese. Hope you try it!

          Reply
          • Michal Cohen

            April 16, 2018 at 9:21 am

            Thx. How much of yeast would you recommend to add?

          • hipfoodiemom

            April 16, 2018 at 9:33 am

            Hi!! Start with just a couple tablespoons! This is simply to give the meatballs a little nutty and cheesy flavor. . you can also just leave the cheese (or nutritional yeast) out completely. The eggs should be enough to bind everything. Let me know how it goes!

  14. Michal Cohen

    April 16, 2018 at 9:53 am

    Hi I’m going to try it over the weekend for my guests. I hope it’s going to be OK to add the yeast both to the meatballs and into the sauce . I’ve never used it before…

    Reply
    • hipfoodiemom

      April 16, 2018 at 10:07 am

      Hi! yes, it’s ok to add to both HOWEVER if you’ve never tried nutritional yeast and are making this for a dinner party (?) I would highly recommend trying/testing this out beforehand to make sure you like it!!!!!!

      Reply

Trackbacks

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Meet Alice

Alice Choi from Hip Foodie MomHello! My name is Alice. Here, at Hip Foodie Mom, you will find fresh food recipes using local, seasonal ingredients. From meat dishes to vegetarian to Asian inspired dishes, you are sure to find something you like. Thank you for stopping by!

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