Slow Cooker Italian Meatballs
A perfect classic meatball recipe, adapted for the slow cooker, so you can set it and forget it.
Servings: 6 People
Calories: 329kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 slice plain bread
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg , lightly beaten
- 1 pound ground beef (90/10%)
- ½ pound ground pork
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese , divided
- 2 tablespoons finely minced parsley
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups tomato sauce for pasta, store-bought or homemade
Instructions
- Tear the bread into small pieces and place them into a large bowl. Pour the milk over the bread and use your fingers to work the bread and milk together into a paste. Mix in the egg. Add the beef and pork, half the Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Use your hands to combine the mixture gently but thoroughly.
- Form the meat mixture into nice round meatballs, about 1½ inches in diameter.
- Place the Tomato Sauce in a slow cooker. Gently add the meatballs to the slow cooker with your fingers or a spoon, tucking them into the sauce, and spooning over some of the sauce so that the meatballs are lightly covered with sauce.
- Set the slow cooker for 4 hours on low, 6 if you have meatballs that are larger than 1 ½ inches in diameter.
- When the meatballs have completely cooked through you can leave them on warm while you make the pasta of your choice. Serve the rest of the Parmesan to sprinkle over the meatballs as you all like.
Nutrition
Calories: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 1074mg | Potassium: 806mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 771IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 147mg | Iron: 4mg