Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
A comforting family dinner recipe of slow cooker meatballs in marinara sauce made with clean healthy ingredients.
Ingredients
Meatball Mixture
- 1.5 lbs ground turkey
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 large onion grated
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup powdered parmesan
- 1/2 cup almond flour or bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp each salt, dried oregano, basil, garlic powder, and onion powder
- 1 tsp pepper
Marinara Sauce
- 1 28oz can of San Marzano Whole Peeled Tomatoes blend with blender or immersion blender
- 2 tbsp tomato paste optional
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 large onion diced
- 2 tsp italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix together meatball mixture in a large bowl.
- Make the marinara: Add olive oil to the slow cooker and saute onion and garlic for the sauce directly in it. Add the tomato paste, seasonings, and blended tomatoes. Set slow cooker to low and cover.
- Shape and sear the meatballs: Shape your meatballs, I use a tablespoon scoop and over-fill each scoop for my meatballs. Heat up some oil in a skillet, add the meatballs and gently sear on each side. You want to space the meatballs out and do this in batches. It doesn't need to be cooked all the way through, you just want to add some crisp to the outside of the meatball which seals in the flavor and also helps the meatballs to keep their shape when you add them to the slow cooker. Next, carefully nestle those meatballs into the marinara sauce being careful not squish any of them. It's ok if the sauce doesn't completely cover the meatballs, it will begin to cover everything as it slow cooks.
- Cook on low for 3-4 hours.