This slow cooker meatballs and marinara recipe is a great dinner than requires little prep time. If you’re looking for a delicious “set it and forget it” meal to throw in your crockpot, look no further! This slow cooker meatballs recipe is one of my husband’s absolute favorites.
A few years ago while channel surfing I landed upon PBS, a station that up until that moment I only associated with shows from my youth such as Sesame Street and The Electric Company. That day I watched in awe as Julia Child and Jacques Pepin worked their magic with eggs.
An entire show that was dedicated to the simple beauty of eggs. I was enthralled. I think I lost the entire day as I watched shows hosted by Eric Ripert, Ming Tsai and Lidia Bastianich. At that very moment I became hooked on PBS, the other food network.
PBS has a lineup full of fantastic chefs demonstrating the kind of techniques I often find lacking on cooking shows. And it was while watching PBS that I first discovered America’s Test Kitchen.
It’s not just a clever name; America’s Test Kitchen is an actual 2500 square foot test kitchen with more than three dozen full-time cooks and product testers. Each recipe is tested countless times until the best, foolproof results are created.
Their methods really do work. When I want a dependable fail-safe recipe I now turn to the experts who are also responsible for Cook’s Country and my favorite magazine, Cook’s Illustrated.
America’s Test Kitchen was kind enough to send me two of their cookbooks to review, The Complete Cook’s Country TV Show Cookbook and The America’s Test Kitchen DIY Cookbook. I am so in awe of these books and all of the wonderful recipes.
The Complete Cook’s Country TV Show Cookbook is full of mouth-watering classic recipes and lovely photos. It was hard to pick just one recipe to start with but I settled on slow cooker meatballs and marinara.
Mr. Savory loves meatloaf and I’ve been eager to break out the slow cooker so it seemed like the right combination. How were they? We’re both still daydreaming about these meatballs.
They’re delicate, moist and the Italian sausage really gives them an intense flavor. And the sauce? It’s my new go-to marinara recipe. Easy to make and perfectly awesome with pasta.
For this recipe I also made homemade mozzarella from The America’s Test Kitchen DIY Cookbook. You can find that recipe along with step-by-step photo instructions here. If that sounds daunting, let me reassure you: it’s surprisingly simple and fun to make homemade cheese.
The DIY Cookbook also has recipes for goat cheese, feta, ricotta, paneer and about a bazillion other things. It’s certainly not limited to cheese; there are also sections with step-by-step instructions for pantry stapes, preserves, pickled foods, cured meats, beverages, desserts and snacks.
I know you’ll enjoy this recipe as much as I did. After the recipe you’ll find details about how to win copies of these fantastic cookbooks!

Slow Cooker Meatballs and Marinara
Ingredients
Onion mixture:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium onions, chopped fine
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 6 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Marinara:
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
Meatballs:
- 4 ounces Italian sausage, casings removed
- 2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
- 1 ounce parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/4 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 ounce parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
- kosher salt
Instructions
For the onion mixture:
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions, tomato paste, garlic, oregano, pepper flakes, and salt and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer half of the onion mixture to a large bowl and set aside.
For the marinara:
- Add wine to the remaining onion mixture in pot and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, then transfer to a slow cooker.
For the meatballs:
- Add sausage, mozzarella, parmesan, eggs, garlic and salt to bowl with reserved onion mixture. Mash with a potato masher until smooth. Add beef and cream to bowl and knead with hands until well combined. Lightly shape mixture into 2-inch round meatballs (about 12 total). Microwave meatballs on large plate until fat renders and meatballs are firm, 4 to 7 minutes. Nestle meatballs into slow cooker, discarding rendered fat. Cover and cook until meatballs are tender and sauce is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 hours on low. Let meatballs and sauce settle for 5 minutes, then skim fat from surface and stir in Parmesan and basil. Season with salt to taste. Serve.
Notes
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
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Looks delish!
Definitely need to pick up another slow cooker. That looks amazing.
Those meatballs look so yummy!!!! Thank you for the contest :)
The meatballs sound so, so good!! I’m all over that marinara!
I’ll never say no to a meatball. Good recipe, great pictures – thanks. And I hope you have a wonderful holiday.
being a vegetarian the meatballs don’t interest me but that sauce looks great – wonder how it would be combined w/ some portabella mushrooms??
I think it would be great!
These photos are gorgeous and I adore how yummy the meatballs and marinara look!!!
There are some definite cooking show gems on PBS! I’ve found myself drawn in when channel surfing. I just added two ATK cookbooks to my collection & have to say that I love them! Need to check these out at the library next time I’m there. And start DVR ing their show :)
Interesting method here! And I LOVE these photos! So beautiful.
I’ve never actually seen ATK but I know that their cookbooks must be amazing because of all the talk about them. And great giveaway. :)
I’m on a meatball kick and I will definitely be trying this recipe :D
I’m making these tomorrow. I can’t tell you how ridiculously excited I am about it.
Let me know how they turn out!
Fantastic! Delicate, tender, delicious and so easy to make. My new go to recipe for meatballs and marinara sauce. Thanks for sharing. :)
Easily my favorite recipe not only for marinara but also for meatballs. I’ve made this for years. But as I’ve aged, and cognition dims, I’ll stress that the step using the microwave needs a platter that is rimmed enough to catch a considerable amount of liquid. I don’t remember having this problem in the past, although I may have had the energy and enthusiasm to brown them in a skillet rather than use the microwave. Soooo glad I didn’t experiment with the air frier this time (Mercy! That would have been a bigger mess). Again, big platter with enough of a rim to catch the liquid! Happy cooking.
This is the most incredible recipe – I have made it many times now and it gets wonderful reviews from everyone. The tip about cooking the meatballs in the microwave first is great – I will continue to serve this to friends and family!! I encourage anyone thinking about making this to try it!!