Meatballs in the crockpot is a win win dinner at my home. My kids love meatballs and I love my crockpot. Juicy and soft meatballs in the most delicious flavorful tomato sauce.
Crockpot meatballs recipe
This is not just any crockpot meatballs, this is a Moroccan inspired one. It can be done in a tajine or in a regular pot on the stove top as well. The meatballs are beyond fantastic. The flavor combo is very nice and cooking it in the crockpot actually gave enough time for the flavors to be blended.
Fall and winter are the seasons to fall in love with your slow cooker all over again. They provide easy meals that can be done without you watching over them, and this meatballs is no difference. I served this over traditional rice but they are as tasty with pasta or crusty bread to mop this terrific sauce.
How to make meatballs in the crockpot?
- In a small bowl we will need to add onion, garlic and all the spices together.
- Mix spices very well and divide into two equal parts.
- In another bigger bowl add egg, parsley,baking powder, flour and one half of the spices mix we just did.
- Mix them very well and set the other half of the spices mix aside.
- Add the ground beef/lamb to the big bowl.
- Mix everything and make sure to distribute the spices evenly.
- Shape you meat mixture into balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Broil in oven for 8-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in your slow cooker, add sauce ingredients and add the remaining half of the spice mix.
- Mix them well to combine.
- Add the broiled meatballs, lightly toss and set your crockpot to high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours.
Tips for making this recipe even easier
Preparing food such as this recipe is good for one's soul. Purchase the ingredients. Put aside the time for shaping your meatballs and you'll be rewarded. If this sounds too much of a work for you, you can use your favorite store-bought frozen and shaped meatballs and use all the spices to flavor the sauce.
Leftover crockpot meatballs?
Leftovers can be turned into meatball sandwiches. Just reheat and put into warm bread. With some tzatziki or tahini sauce, they make a wonderful leftover lunch or dinner.
This is seriously an excellent recipe and adaptable to different ground meats. You can also thicken the sauce up a bit more using a Tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in just a little bit of water and add it to the slow cooker in the last 30 minutes or so.
Other slow cooker recipes to enjoy
I hope you'll like this recipe and please if you make this recipe, snap a pic and hashtag it #amiraspantry — I love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter! Don’t want to miss a recipe?
Sign up for the FREE Amira's Pantry newsletter delivered to your inbox with lots of tips and surprises! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for all the latest updates.
Crockpot meatballs recipe
If you like this recipe do not forget to give it a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating and attach a photo of your finished dish. It is always a pleasure of mine to see your photos and check your own take of the recipe. Thank you.
Crockpot meatballs
Ingredients
- Ingredients:
For the spice mixture:
- 1 medium onion (190g), finely diced.
- 1 garlic clove minced.
- 2 teaspoons salt. Used pink salt.
- 2 teaspoons paprika.
- 1 teaspoon black pepper.
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger.
- 1 teaspoon cumin.
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander.
For the meatballs:
- 2 pounds ground extra lean beef/lamb. Note1
- 2 Tablespoon all purpose flour.
- 1 egg.
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.
- 1/4 cup parsley coarsely chopped.
For the sauce:
- 1/4 cup olive oil.
- 1/4 cup canola oil.
- 2-3 roma tomatoes (250g) , diced.
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste.
- 1 cup broth/water. Note1
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the spice ingredients well together and divide in two equal parts.
- In a bigger bowl combine ground meat, half the spice mixture, flour, baking powder and egg. Mix everything well together and form into 1.5 Tablespoon balls.
- Place meatballs on a baking sheet and Broil in your oven for 8-10 minutes until firm.
- In your slow cooker, add the remaining half of the spice mixture and all the sauce ingredients, stir to combine.
- Place the meatballs in the slow cooker and mix with the sauce. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours.
Notes
Note2: For more sauce you can add a cup of your favorite marinara sauce, but this is not common in the authentic recipe.
This has been a staple in our house. We often modify it to include whatever vegetables we have on hand. I made it several times with ground lamb and we all loved it.
Adding vegetables is a great idea to stretch this dish even more. Thank you Kristen, I am glad you liked it.