Crock Pot Homemade Meatballs and Marinara
This Crock Pot Homemade Meatballs and Marinara Sauce is the ultimate comfort food. Fresh ingredients simmered all day in a slow cooker!
DELICIOUS MEATBALLS IN A HOMEMADE SAUCE
I think I have made marinara sauce pretty much every kind of way. In full disclosure – 9 times out of 10 – I am just buying a good jar sauce. It works for me and I love pasta and hate dirtying up a lot of dishes just to make a meal. But every now and then I like to bust out a full-on meal. When I have time, cooking is super enjoyable for me. I like the process. I like feeding my family. And it makes the house AH-Mazing. Is there anything better than the smell of garlic cooking in olive oil?
TIPS FOR MAKING A DELICIOUS HOMEMADE SAUCE:
- I know the key to any good marinara is to let it hang out and simmer all day. So I figure that the crock pot is the perfect man for the job. I don’t have to constantly babysit it on the stovetop and I can leave the house and do other things while it cooks.
- Use fresh herbs in this if you can. I grow some basic herbs in pots outside on my back porch: Basil, Oregano, Parsley, Thyme & Rosemary. They are easy to grow and take care of. But you can make this with dried herbs too.You can used dried herbs instead of fresh. Just use half the amounts given above (oregano not pictured)Serve it all up with a Caesar salad and some garlic bread (frozen or homemade, however you’re feeling at the moment.)
SAUCE INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- extra virgin olive oil
- garlic cloves
- crushed tomatoes
- tomato sauce
- tomato paste
- water
- grated Parmesan Romano
- sugar
- fresh basil
- fresh parsley
- fresh oregano
- pepper
MEATBALL INGREDIENTS NEEDED:
- ground beef
- eggs
- bread crumbs (Italian or garlic & herb)
- grated Parmesan Romano
- garlic cloves
- salt
- pepper
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE MEATBALLS AND MARINARA SAUCE:
For the sauce: Heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Note: I am using a Ninja Cooker and it has a stovetop (sauté)setting. I just turn that on high. It really helps cut down on the number of dirty dishes. However, you can skip this part if you don’t have a sauté setting on your slow cooker. Just put the garlic and oil straight into the rest of the sauce ingredients.
Add minced garlic and cook and stir for about a minute – you don’t want it to burn.
Now, pour in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and water.
Then add cheese, sugar, herbs and seasoning.
Give it all a good stir. Cover and put on the low setting.
For the meatballs: In a large bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients. Just like when I am making meatloaf, I just get in there and mix it together with my hand. Makes it so much easier and quicker.
Shape into 12 meatballs. I am using one of those 1/4 cup spring-loaded scooper. Makes the job faster.
In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add a couple tablespoons of olive oil.
Brown the meatballs on all sides. We’re not cooking them all the way through. Just browning the outside.
Add meatballs to the sauce in the crock pot. Cover and continue to cook with the sauce for about 6-8 hours (until meatballs are cooked through.)
When ready to serve, prepare your spaghetti according to package directions. And enjoy! Perfect with a Caesar salad and garlic bread!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES? GIVE THESE A TRY!
CROCK POT HOMEMADE MEATBALLS AND MARINARA
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Romano cheese blend
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 2 Tablespoons fresh basil chopped
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 2 Tablespoons fresh oregano chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
For the sauce:
- Add garlic and oil to the crock pot. Note: If you have a sauce setting on your slow cooker. Sauté the oil and garlic together for about a minute until fragrant.
- Then pour in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and water.
- Add cheese, sugar, herbs and seasoning. Give it all a good stir.
- Cover and put crock pot on the low setting.
For the meatballs:
- In a large bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients. Shape into 12 meatballs.
- In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Brown the meatballs on all sides.
- Add meatballs to the sauce in the crock pot.
- Cover and continue to cook with the sauce for about 6-8 hours (until meatballs are cooked through.)
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
These will be good for meatball subs!!
Absolutely!!
I am having a dinner party and would like to make the sauce a couple of days prior to the party. Can this be stored in the refrigerator a few days and reheated?
Thank you,
Mary Gaytan
I agree with you. I think the organic thing is a racket. Just a way to charge more money. This recipe sounds great. I will be making soon
The recipe looks delicious. One question, why does the recipe need sugar in it?
A tad of sugar is always added to tomato sauces to help balance out the acidity from the tomatoes. 🙂
Meatballs and marainara sauce will be tomorrow’s dinner. i appreciate your approach to cooking: Easy recipes, little cleanup
Good Morning, I was just wondering if anybody has tried doubling the recipe??? Thank You…
Hi Brandie, Made this tonight for dinner. Super easy, smelled delicious while cooking in the crockpot and was a great dinner for my family. Can’t wait for the leftovers tomorrow!!
Hi Brandie,
I have been following you for a while.. I LOVE the fact that you don’t eat origanic. I don’t either. I think it is just a way to charge more money.. And GMO’s? Don’t get me started. It is refreshing to hear some one else think for themselves.
Keep the great recipes coming.
Thank you SO much Morgan!
Homemade is Always best but I do use my own grown tomatoes.
I'm trying to teach my husband in cooking a very easy recipes but he likes to follow the step by step instructions. Is there a way for you to set it up so that I can print out the step by step instructions / pictures for him to follow?
Thank you
Hi Colleen! Well, it might use a lot of ink but there is a way to do it! 🙂 At the very, very bottom of the blog post, you'll see a green button – it says "Print Friendly" (you should see it under the words 'Posted by The Country Cook) Click on the button and the entire post will come up for you. Just click on any words or pictures you don't want to include on the print out and then hit print! Hope that helps!
Found the green button and printed it out. Thank you so very much and my husband especially thanks you. You made his day. :} 14 pages and that isn't counting the original page of the recipe that I had already printed out earlier in the week but he's happy now.
I Tried to tell him that if you just read the instructions, which are very clear by the way, he should have no problem but seeing the pictures he knows that he each step is done correctly.
His idea of cooking was opening up a can of soup or putting hot dogs in a pan of water and heating. I think every man should learn how to cook.
Thanks again
this recipe looks so good. Love using the crock pot in warm weather. Actually I use it all year round !
Me too!!
I am just like you, eat frozen pizza, don't buy organic. We are two peas in a pod
There are more important things to stress over, right? 🙂
I'm a fairly new subscriber & am really enjoying your blog. Thank you for your down to earth approach to cooking. 😮
Thank you SO much for taking the time to leave a comment and letting me know that. I sure do appreciate it!