Ever since I was pregnant with Lily I craved meatballs. I mean, I’d eat the for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’m not really sure what it was, but it’s what the baby wanted. HA! And she continued to love them out of the womb, so did I. My mom never really busted out the Italian growing up, so I didn’t really have a recipe to go off of. I just kinda winged it and the recipe have evolved over the years, but this version has stuck for about the past 5 years. It’s now become a family favorite and is requested often. I hope you enjoy it!
Xx
Landyn
SHOP THE POST
SLOW COOKER MEATBALLS
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 lb grass fed ground beef
- 1 lb ground bison
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 egg
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 jar of Rao's marinara sauce
- 1 6oz can tomato paste
- 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
- salt + pepper
Instructions
- Add tomato sauce, paste and crushed tomatoes to slow cooker. Use a wooden spoon to stir and make sure tomato paste is incorporated.
- In a large bowl combine turkey, beef and bison.
- Add egg, dried herbs, seasonings, parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Mix with your hands, making sure it's combined. Don't over mix, you don't want them to become tough.
- Wet your hands and form mixture into balls with your hands. Making them about 2-3 inches across.
- Once you roll the meatballs in your hand add them to sauce mixture. Yes, put them in raw.
- Gently push meatballs under the sauce and use a spoon to cover them as best as you can.
- Set your slow cooker on low for 6 hours if you have time, if not, set on high for 3 hours.
- Cover and let cook. Boil spaghetti noodles, drain. Scoop out meatballs + sauce and serve.
- makes about 15-20 meatballs
Same! When I was pregnant with my son I craved meatballs. Meatballs from every culture! I ate Italian meatballs, Swedish meatballs, middle eastern-inspired lamb meatballs. I wanted ALL the meatballs.
It was a real thing! GIVE ME ALL THE MEATBALLS
How can I pin this to my Pinterest recipe page
You should be able to hover on the recipe and that little red P pop up to pin.
could I substitute bison for something else? Don’t know if the hubs will go for it…
I am sure that you could, but don’t knock the bison until you try it! Maybe just say you’re making meatballs 😉
I made these last night and my Fiance ate 6, he said best meatballs EVER!
#kudosLandyn
Oh my goodness! YES! That’s a WIN.
Do you think this could be made in the instant pot?
I definitely do ! You would have to do a little bit of math to figure out cooking times, but I am sure it can be done.
I don’t need 3 lbs of meatballs. If I half the meat/ should I half all the other items???? Thanks. Looks delicious. PS my mom craved spaghetti when she was pregnant with me!!!!
YES!
Can you make the meatballs the day before and refrigerate them to add to the crock pot the next day?
Absolutely! Just make sure they don’t over cook.
What size jar of marinara sauce do you use?
32 Ounces
I add about a teaspoon or more of Italian seasoning