Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs
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This is the ONLY way to make this! Even the pasta gets cooked right in the crockpot! SO stinking easy, right?
I’m finally back home.
I went from Arkansas to Minneapolis to a two-day shoot in Los Angeles to Ecuador and then Big Sur. All in a span of 2 1/2 weeks.
Not to mention but we were actually delayed at the Monterey airport on Sunday for over 4 hours (this is the closest airport to Big Sur). And to give you some perspective, we could have driven back to LA from Monterey in 5 hr and 17 min.
It’s been rough to be away from home for so long to say the least.
But, I am home with Butters nonetheless. And this giant crockpot of spaghetti and meatballs.
It’s such a classic cozy dish, perfect for this time of year. And it’s even better because you can make this right in your crockpot.
Just let it simmer and cook low and slow for 7-8 hours, stirring in the pasta and letting that cook for another 30-40 minutes.
Yes, the pasta gets cooked right in the crockpot so it legit doesn’t get any easier.
Serve with extra crusty bread, and maybe a few more meatballs covered in fresh Parmesan. It’s simply perfection.
Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 cup beef stock
- ½ medium sweet onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 ounces spaghetti, broken in half
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
For the meatballs
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ pound Italian sausage, casing removed
- ½ cup Panko
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, sausage, Panko, milk, egg, Parmesan, parsley and garlic; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 3/4-to-1-inch meatballs, forming about 32-35 meatballs.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add meatballs, in batches, and cook until all sides are browned, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.
- Place crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef stock, onion, garlic and sugar into a 6-qt slow cooker. Stir in meatballs until well combined; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.
- Stir in pasta; cover and cook on low heat for an additional 30-40 minutes, or until pasta is tender, stirring once. Stir in basil.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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If I want to cook my pasta separately, should I reduce the amount of beef stock?
SO GOOD! The sauce is an awesome recipe. I subbed 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar for the sugar (I like the sweetness and flavor this gives way more than sugar in pasta sauce). I also added a teaspoon each of parsley and basil. I can’t comment on the meatball recipe since I was in a time crunch so I threw in some fully cooked frozen meatballs. It all turned out great!
Excellent recipe. Very easy and convenient to prepare
Can I use a different pasta other than spaghetti? Could I use ziti or penne? Thanks so much!
Hey Chungah!
This is now in regular rotation at our house because my kids request it so much, and it’s what’s for dinner tonight!
Golly, this was so good and all of my six member family ate and enjoyed. I’ll be making this again!
After rolling out my meatballs, I placed them on a wax paper lined jellyroll pan and baked at 400 until the fat rendered slightly, verses cooking stovetop. This was clutch in making it an easy meal. Also, I used a liner for the crock pot. Just a delicious breeze!
Haven’t made this yet but very interested in trying it. Any idea how gluten free noodles would behave in the crock pot? In my experience if I leave noodles in the sauce for leftovers they fall apart. Any idea what to expect on that first serving of the dish?
I need to cut this recipe in half. Would I have to make an adjustment in the length of time it will cook? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Tried on a whim holly #### I’ll never mak it traditionally again alday stove top never agian .
Family Loved this sauce. It’s in my keep recipes cookbook.
Would it fit in a crock pot if the recipe is doubled? I need to feed 7?
Do you know if the liquid change if using whole wheat spaghetti?
Made these yesterday…..been looking for a moist meatball and this nailed it!!!! Stuck right to the recipe….My finicky eaters went back for seconds. Throw these on a piece of Italian bread with some provolone…..I can only imagine! Thanks for the recipe!
How long can you keep this warm in the crockpot?
Really delicious, great flavor. I cooked my pasta separately because I was short on time at the end, but I will try it your way next time. It was a teensy bit soupy but I am sure it was my fault for not following the directions all the way!
Can’t wait to try this! How do you store leftovers?
Bachelor here – can leftovers be frozen?
Haven’t tried this yet but what size crockpot did you use for this? Might make this for a big group and just wanted to make sure I’m making enough 🙂
Megan, I recommend using a 6-qt slow cooker. 🙂
Do you have any suggestions on how I can reduce the ingredients using a 4qt slow cooker?
can I use a full box of pasta rather than 16 oz?
Hi Carol! Yes, absolutely, but you may need to increase the amounts of liquid to account for the added pasta. Good luck!
Just made this recipe! The best I ever tried. My family loved it. It is definitely a keeper! Thanks for posting this delicious recipe!!
You are so welcome, Marti!
Made this today as I needed something easy to put in the crock pot while I was working on a quilt. I added an extra teaspoon of sugar some pepper flakes to the sauce. Plenty for dinner with left overs for another night. I will make this again.
This is such a perfect meal to throw together while having a project! 🙂
Do I need to use Panko or any breadcrumbs?
I recommend using Panko.