My mother’s recipe for Crock Pot Meatballs in Red Sauce can serve dual purposes: make it a meal, by serving it over spaghetti or your favorite pasta, or omit the pasta, and supply toothpicks to make it a filling appetizer at a party or family gathering! Plus, the fact that this is a Crock Pot recipe saves time in your busy schedule.

My mom would make this every week, when I was a kid, and I’ve carried on the tradition to my family. Spaghetti and meatballs may seem overdone, but I’ve never had a meatball recipe that tasted is good as this one.

 

Ingredients:

2 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes

1 lb 80/20 ground beef

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup breadcrumbs

5 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced (2 for the sauce, 3 for the meatballs)

2 Tbsp dried basil (1 for the sauce, 1 for the meatballs)

2 Tbsp dried parsley

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper (1/4 tsp for the sauce, 1/4 tsp for the meatballs)

1 egg

 

Instructions:

Combine crushed tomatoes, 2 minced cloves of garlic, 1 Tbsp of basil and 1/4 tsp of black pepper in the slow cooker. Stir.

In a bowl, combine everything else.

Using your hands, mix the meat with the ingredients.

Form into golf-ball sized balls.

Add the meatballs to the slow cooker and gently submerge in the sauce.

Cook on high for 4 hours, medium for 6 hours or low for 8 hours.

Serve over pasta.

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Quick Tip: For a healthier version, use 90% lean ground beef!

Recipe and Image courtesy of: Lauren Greutman