Easy Crockpot Meatballs Recipe with Ground Beef
It’s always nice when you find a recipe that really works for you. This easy crockpot meatball recipe is one that will make your life a little easier and a little tastier!
Ground beef is still the way to go if you want a “beefy” yet economical meal that is always easy on the budget. And, a crockpot or slow cooker works wonders for keeping us cool while cooking up delicious meals in the summer heat!
Don’t forget to cook your favorite pasta and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
A simple recipe for perfect crockpot meatballs
- 1-1/4 lb. extra lean ground beef
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 medium egg
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 medium white onion, grated and divided in half (use the other half of grated onion below)
- 1 teaspoon salt & 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 of the onions from above
- 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
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Gently mix the meatball ingredients together and form into about 16-18 meatballs.
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(Use half of the onion in the meatballs and the other half in the sauce)
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Put the sauce ingredients into the crockpot and stir.
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Lay the meatballs on top of the sauce and push down until slightly submerged in sauce.
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Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.
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Make sure the meatballs are cooked through before serving.
There are so many delicious brands of tomato sauce in the grocery stores now. Try a few and see which one you like the best!
Use a small scoop to form your meatballs. If all of your meatballs are the same size they will cooked at the same rate.
Below is a picture of a blog post we did on making healthy chicken Parmesan. The Chicken Parmesan is amazingly good and the sauce used will be similar to the one above. For this sauce make sure you grate the onions and not chop!
When using raw onions in sauce (without the onions being cooked first), we always grate the onions with the large holes of the grater. This works well, and you won’t have large chunks of semi-cooked onions in your sauce.
Serve cooked meatballs with a delicious tossed salad and don’t forget the blue cheese crumbles! If you want a low carb meal, forgo the pasta and eat a healthy salad. There are so many amazing ways to create a healthy salad, but one of our favorites is still the basic tossed salad.
But, go crazy and load up on those healthy vegetables in your salad.
Meatballs freeze well so don’t be afraid to make extra and leave them in your freezer for a couple of months. Leftovers also make a great lunch the next day or even meatball sandwiches for another dinner.
