Slow Cooker Meatballs Marinara (Printable)

Tender meatballs cooked slowly in a flavorful marinara sauce for a hearty, crowd-pleasing dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Meatballs

01 - 1.5 lbs ground beef (80/20)
02 - 0.5 lb ground pork
03 - 0.5 cup Italian breadcrumbs
04 - 0.33 cup grated Parmesan cheese
05 - 2 large eggs
06 - 0.25 cup milk
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
09 - 1.5 tsp salt
10 - 0.5 tsp black pepper
11 - 1 tsp dried oregano
12 - 0.5 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

→ For the Marinara Sauce

13 - 48 oz marinara sauce
14 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
15 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
16 - 1 tbsp olive oil
17 - 1 tsp dried basil
18 - 1 tsp dried oregano
19 - Salt and pepper, to taste

# How to Make It:

01 - In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, eggs, milk, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Mix gently until just combined without overmixing.
02 - Shape mixture into 1.5-inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
03 - For firmer meatballs, broil on high for 3-4 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned. This step enhances flavor but can be skipped.
04 - In a skillet over medium heat, warm olive oil. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3-4 minutes until softened and fragrant.
05 - Add sautéed onion and garlic, marinara sauce, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
06 - Gently nestle the meatballs into the sauce in the slow cooker.
07 - Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours (or HIGH for 2 hours), until meatballs are cooked through with an internal temperature of 160°F.
08 - Serve hot, garnished with extra Parmesan and parsley if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They cook themselves while you handle a hundred other things, which feels like cheating in the best way.
  • The slow cooker makes them impossibly tender, like they've been simmering for hours even though the technique is straightforward.
  • One batch feeds a crowd or lingers in your fridge for easy weeknight dinners that taste homemade but require zero effort on day three.
02 -
  • Don't skip the onion and garlic sauté step—I learned this the hard way by making the sauce cold once, and the difference between that version and this one was night and day.
  • If your meatballs feel dry while mixing, it's usually because you've overworked them or used lean meat; stick with the 80/20 ratio and handle everything like you're being gentle with it.
03 -
  • Use an ice cream scoop to portion out the meatballs—it ensures they're all the same size and cooks way faster than hand-rolling thirty of them one by one.
  • If you prefer them crispier on the outside, the optional broil step is genuinely worth the five extra minutes; it adds a subtle caramelized depth that jarred sauce alone can't quite achieve.
Go Back