Slow Cooker Italian Meatballs (in Marinara)

Made with ground beef, parmesan, and breadcrumbs, these slow cooker meatballs simmer low and slow in marinara sauce for tender, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth meatballs the whole family will love. A dump-and-go weeknight dinner that comes together with zero pre-browning required!

My Favorite Easy Crockpot Meatballs!

These slow cooker Italian meatballs deliver everything you want from a classic spaghetti-and-meatballs dinner without any of the pre-browning or stove-time (we LOVE that!). Mix the meatballs in a single bowl, nestle them into marinara in the slow cooker, and a few hours later you have a tender, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth meatball dinner that tastes like it came out of your Italian grandma’s kitchen!

Two small steps I use to make these noticeably better than the average dump-and-go meatball. First, we’re grating the onion instead of dicing it; as the juices melts straight into the meat mixture and keeps the meatballs seasoned all the way through. And go light with the mixing, since overworking the meat is the fastest way to dense meatballs! The other thing that matters is the marinara itself; great sauce means great dinner, and a bland jar produces a bland result. My homemade marinara sauce is my go-to, but any good quality jarred marinara works, too.

Serve these meatballs over spaghetti (this recipe makes enough for a pound of cooked pasta), with a generous shower of parmesan and fresh basil on top. My time-saving garlic bread on the side rounds out the full Italian dinner in the easiest way possible. The meatballs keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and freeze beautifully for up to 3 months, too!

Welcome to My Kitchen, Here’s How to Make Crock Pot Italian Meatballs

Testing Tips for Crockpot Meatballs in Marinara

• To work ahead, do what one of my readers, Allison, did and form the meatballs the night before, refrigerate them on a parchment-lined plate, then drop them straight into the slow cooker with the marinara in the morning. Cold meatballs from the fridge work perfectly in the slow cooker, and there is no need to bring them to room temperature first.
• To double this recipe, scale all ingredients to 48 meatballs and 6 cups of marinara, then cook in a 6-quart or larger slow cooker with at least 2 inches of clearance between the meatballs and the lid. Add an extra 30 to 60 minutes to the cook time on either low or high since the fuller slow cooker takes longer to come to temperature.
• To make these meatballs gluten free, swap in your favorite gluten-free Italian breadcrumbs (Aleia’s works well) in the same 1/3 cup amount called for in the recipe. The texture is identical to the original, and the meatballs hold together beautifully throughout the long simmer in the marinara.

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