SLOW COOKER SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS RECIPE
Anytime pasta is involved with dinner then it's a guaranteed hit with my kids. Which is exactly why I have made this easy slow cooker spaghetti and meatballs recipes countless times. My kids eat it! Like I.
Yes, it's not homemade-from scratch but it's good food that is so simple to throw in the slow cooker in the morning and I guarantee the family will love it. And sometimes you just need a dinner like that!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR SLOW COOKER SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS
Frozen Meatballs - I prefer the Costco meatballs because they are the best tasting premade meatballs I've ever had. And you get a huge bag of them which could easily make this meal two times. And they're less expensive than the smaller bag in the grocery store.
Stewed Tomatoes - These are canned tomatoes that have been stewed with other ingredients like onion, bell pepper, and garlic. They come whole in the can so I like to blend them up in the blender before adding them into the slow cooker.
Tomato Paste
Spaghetti Sauce - One jar is all you need and it can be any variety you prefer.
Garlic Powder, Basil, Italian Seasoning, Salt, Pepper, and Granulated Sugar - You need the sugar to help balance all the acid from the tomatoes so don't leave it out.
Spaghetti Noodles - We love this with thin spaghetti noodles but you can use whatever your family loves.
MY TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- A 32 oz package of meatballs comes with approximately 60-65 meatballs. So if you are using meatballs from a big bag (like Costco) use about 60 meatballs.
- You can use any flavor or variety pasta sauce you want.
- This does really well on the warm setting of your slow cooker. So don't worry if you're not home right away when it's done cooking. Just serve when you're ready.
- You don't have to blend up the tomatoes but it's preferred so you don't have those huge chunks of stewed tomatoes in your sauce. Stewed tomatoes have so much more flavor than just diced tomatoes. So the flavor is what we want not necessarily the huge chunks of tomato.
- The mixture in the crock pot before cooking may seem like it has too much liquid, but don't worry because as it cooks it will thicken thanks to the tomato paste.
YOU WILL LOVE THESE OTHER SPAGHETTI FAMILY DINNER RECIPES
Easy Homemade Spaghetti Recipe - This is a homemade ground beef spaghetti sauce made in one pot. Cook up some noodles in a different pot and then add them to the sauce. So flavorful and one of the most requested dinner recipes from my kids.
Baked Spaghetti Casserole - Everything you love about spaghetti but in a cheesy baked casserole. I love that this recipe uses cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese! This is a great recipe to make for company because everyone loves spaghetti and it's not as messy.
Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce - One of my very favorites when I have lots of time to let it simmer for an hour. This has so much flavor and tastes better than any restaurant spaghetti sauce.
Slow Cooker Ground Beef & Italian Sausage Spaghetti Sauce - A delicious combo of ground Italian sausage and ground beef. This makes a lot of spaghetti sauce so it's perfect to freeze for another pasta night or use it in any recipes that calls for spaghetti sauce.
Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 bag (32 oz) frozen meatballs (about 60 meatballs)
- 1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce
- 3 cans (14.5 oz each) Italian Recipe Stewed Tomatoes
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- cooked pasta & parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Spray the insert of the slow cooker with cooking spray.
- Put the frozen meatballs into the slow cooker. Dump the can of spaghetti sauce over the meatballs.
- In a blender, combine the undrained cans of stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, dried basil, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Blend until combined well. Pour into the slow cooker. Stir everything together until the meatballs are coated in sauce.
- Cook on LOW heat for 6-7 hours. It does really well on the WARM setting once the cook time is done, if needed.
- Serve over hot cooked pasta and garnish with parmesan cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
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