Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

February 18, 2023

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Tender and Italian-flavored meatballs simmered all day with homemade marinara sauce are the perfect dinner for pasta night! This is the ONLY way meatballs need to be made now—they melt in your mouth and are a great way to feed a crowd or your family!

This has to be the ONLY way I’m going to make meatballs now. Allowing the meatballs to simmer all day in tomato sauce created a flavorful marinara—and just coming home to the smell of meatballs after a long day of work is the perfect therapy. For this recipe, I used ground beef and ground sausage. I didn’t know I was missing out on so much flavor until I tested this recipe. The marinara sauce in my recipe is a quick marinara sauce, but you can make a more traditional marinara for this! This can also be frozen to reheat in the future.

How to make Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

These meatballs can be prepped a day in advance. You can skip the browning and add it straight to the slow cooker, but I recommend browning it. It locks in more flavor and helps the meatballs stay juicy. (Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions are available in the recipe card down below).

Ground Beef and Ground Sausage: The combination of these two meats are what makes these meatballs melt in your mouth. I used hot ground sausage, but you can use sweet ground sausage. You can also use a combination of ground beef, pork, and veal (often called meatloaf mix if packaged together).
Crushed Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce, Tomato Paste: The base for the sauce.
Fresh Basil: I love fresh basil in tomato sauce. It brings a nice fresh element. Usually, marinara sauce calls for a few leaves, but I used more than a few leaves.
Sugar: This cuts the acidity in the sauce.
Garlic: Used in both the meatballs and sauce.
Onions: Used in the meatballs only. Marinara sauce typically does not have onions in it.
Breadcrumbs and Milk: Combining these two for meatballs creates a moist meatball. Mixing some milk with breadcrumbs creates a panade (a paste) and helps the meatballs stay moist.
Parmesan Cheese: Used in the meatballs and sauce.
Eggs: Used to bind the meatballs together so they don’t fall apart.
Parsley & Oregano, Salt & Pepper: The parsley is for the meatballs, and the oregano is for the sauce.

In a large mixing bowl, combine together the breadcrumbs, milk, eggs, parmesan, salt, pepper, garlic, onions, and parsley. Mix in the ground meat until thoroughly combined, but not overmixing. Overmixing will create a tough and dry meatball. Form the mixture into 1.5-2 inch meatballs (this should create about 24 meatballs). In a large skillet, heat some olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides, but do not fully cook them. Set them to the side on a plate. In a small sauté pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Cook the garlic for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Turn off the heat and transfer to the slow cooker. Add in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, parmesan cheese, sugar, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the meatballs in the sauce, it’s ok if they are on top of each other, but make sure they’re mostly covered in the sauce. Cover with the lid. Simmer on low for 4-6 hours, or high for 2-3 hours. Serve with cooked spaghetti and some garlic bread!

Tips & FAQs

Storage: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Allow the meatballs to cool completely. Transfer to a freezer safe ziploc bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. You can freeze the meatballs par-cooked, or fully cooked. The sauce can be frozen as well, but separated from the meatballs. Thaw overnight and reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until heated through.
- Make Ahead: Form and brown the meatballs a day in advance. Place them onto a sheet pan and wrap with plastic wrap, then place it in the fridge. You can cook the pasta a day in advance as well.
Can I add raw meat to the slow cooker? You can! I browned them first before adding to the slow cooker so it keeps the meatballs juicy as they simmer for a long period of time, but you can skip the browning step entirely and just add them into the slow cooker as is.
Use a cookie scoop to evenly portion out the meatballs. It helps a lot, or you can eyeball it.
Cook the pasta in the sauce for 30 minutes before it’s done. You will need to add some water to the sauce before though. Add the pasta to the slow cooker, and let it cook until the pasta is al dente. Do not cook it longer than 30 minutes, or else the pasta will be mushy.
Variations:
- Use a meatloaf mix for the meatballs, which is 1/3 ground beef, 1/3 ground pork, and 1/3 ground veal.
- Use ground turkey instead of ground beef for a leaner option.
- Add some spinach towards the end of cooking to add some fiber to your meal.
- Double this recipe to feed a crowd.

Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.

Servings 20-24 meatballs

Author Dani Bayer

Prep time

20 Min

Cook time

6 Hour

Total time

6 H & 20 M

Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

1 lb ground beef, 80-20 lean
1 lb ground sausage, hot or sweet
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For the Sauce

5 garlic cloves, minced
2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
15 oz can tomato sauce
3 tbsp tomato paste
20 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp sugar

Instructions

Form the Meatballs

In a large mixing bowl, incorporate together the onions, garlic, panko breadcrumbs, milk, eggs, parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Once those are fully mixed together, mix in the ground beef and ground pork until just combined, but do not overmix.
Roll the meat mixture into 1.5 to 2-inch meatballs. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Brown the meatballs, in batches, for 1-2 minutes. Do not cook them fully. Remove the meatballs from the skillet onto a plate and set aside.

Make the Sauce and Cook

In the same skillet, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Transfer to the slow cooker.
In the slow cooker, stir together the sauce ingredients. Add in the meatballs. It’s ok if they are on top of each other if there isn’t enough room to add them in one layer. Just make sure it’s mostly covered with the sauce.
Cover with the lid and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.
The internal temperature of the meatballs should be 160F or higher.
Serve with pasta and some garlic bread!

Notes

*Cook time is based on low and slow cooking.

Storage: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Freeze: Allow the meatballs to cool completely. Transfer to a freezer-safe ziploc bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. You can freeze the meatballs par-cooked, or fully cooked. The sauce can be frozen as well, but separated from the meatballs. Thaw overnight and reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until heated through.
Make Ahead: Form and brown the meatballs a day in advance. Place them onto a sheet pan and wrap them with plastic wrap, then place them in the fridge. You can cook the pasta a day in advance as well.

Can I add raw meat to the slow cooker? You can! I browned them first before adding them to the slow cooker so it keeps the meatballs juicy as they simmer for a long period of time, but you can skip the browning step entirely and just add them into the slow cooker as is.

Use a cookie scoop to evenly portion out the meatballs. It helps a lot, or you can eyeball it.

Cook the pasta in the sauce for 30 minutes before it’s done. You will need to add some water to the sauce before though. Add the pasta to the slow cooker, and let it cook until the pasta is al dente. Do not cook it longer than 30 minutes, or else the pasta will be mushy.

Variations:

Use a meatloaf mix for the meatballs, which is 1/3 ground beef, 1/3 ground pork, and 1/3 ground veal.
Use ground turkey instead of ground beef for a leaner option.
Add some spinach towards the end of cooking to add some fiber to your meal.
Double this recipe to feed a crowd.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

174.75

Carbs (grams)

8.41 g

Cholesterol (grams)

34.5 mg

Fat (grams)

10.87 g

Fiber (grams)

1.11 g

Protein (grams)

10.96 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

3.58 g

Sodium (milligrams)

383.84 mg

Sugar (grams)

3.6 g

The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and the brands of ingredients used. Nutrition is based on 1 meatball and 1/4 cup of sauce. This recipe makes 20-24 meatballs, depending on size.

Miss Raven's Kitchen

Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

How to make Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara Sauce