Slow Cooker Tomato Sauce made with meatballs served over cooked pasta makes a delicious meal any night of the week.
Cooking the sauce low and slow all day is another family friendly crock pot recipe. It also helps make the house smells like Little Italy!
My Homemade Tomato Sauce with Meatballs is the kind of recipe that lives in your heart, not on a page. It's been my go-to for over 30 years, a comforting tradition honed with each simmering pot.
Sure, maybe it's a bit silly that I'm only now writing it down, but like all good Italian cooks, I've always relied on a pinch of this, a dash of that, and a whole lot of love.
I hope you'll use this recipe as a guide and adjust the seasonings to your family's taste. Because that's what all good home-cooks do. We cook for our family.
If you grow tomatoes, check out my posts on how to grow tomatoes and how to peel tomatoes so you can preserve summer's bounty.
Table of Contents
Crock Pot Tomato Sauce
You can make this recipe in a crock pot or on top of the stove in a heavy pan. I like to use my crock pot because there's no risk of burning the sauce while I'm busy working.
Check out these instructions for cooking homemade Italian Spaghetti Sauce on the stovetop. Looking for a twist on my traditional recipe, try this Italian Pink Sauce recipe.
Use this homemade marinara sauce with meatballs for dinner this week! Try my Cheesy Baked Tortellini recipe or this Olive Garden Giant Stuffed Shells recipe...yum!
How to Freeze Cooked Ground Beef
When I make homemade meatballs, I usually make more than my family will eat for one meal. What I like to do is make around 15 or 20 meatballs but only add 6 or 8 to the crock pot with the sauce ingredients.
Here's how to freeze cooked ground beef or partially cooked meatballs:
- Place the partially cooked meatballs on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Allow them to cool slightly.
- Then place the baking tray in the freezer to flash freeze the meatballs for about 30 minutes.
- Once frozen, wrap them in aluminum foil and store in a freezer-safe plastic container or bag.
The next time you're making homemade tomato sauce, pull the frozen meatballs out of the freezer. Add them frozen to the slow cooker and they'll be cooked through by the time the homemade marinara sauce is done.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
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Main Ingredients Needed
Here's a quick overview of the ingredients for this recipe. Find the exact amounts and click the Instacart button to easily add them to your cart – all in the printable recipe card below!
Ingredients for the Meatballs
- Ground beef
- Breadcrumbs
- Garlic
- Chopped onion
- Dried parsley
- Salt
- Pepper
- Egg
- Milk
- Vegetable oil for frying.
Ingredients for the Tomato Sauce
- Tomato puree
- Crushed tomatoes
- Garlic
- Dried basil
- Sugar
- Dried Parsley
- Water
Recipe Variations
For this recipe, I fry the meatballs, you can also bake them in the oven following this recipe for Easy Baked Beef Meatballs.
Serve the slow cooker tomato sauce and meatballs over cooked spaghetti. Or try my Meatball Sandwich Recipe.
You can also prepare meatball sandwiches by slicing the meatballs and adding them to a hard roll. Top with the slow cooker tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and serve.
This is the same homemade marinara sauce I use for my eggplant parmesan and homemade pizza.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley, and milk. Mix gently until just combined.
Step 2: Form the mixture into meatballs and refrigerate for 15 minutes. This will help them hold their shape during cooking.
Step 3: Heat a generous amount of oil in a heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and brown them evenly on all sides.
Step 4: Remove the browned meatballs from the pan and drain them briefly on paper towels. This will remove excess grease before adding them to your tomato sauce.
Step 5: Add all your tomato sauce ingredients directly to the slow cooker. If using whole tomatoes, gently break them up in the slow cooker using the back of a spoon or a meat chopper. Carefully add the meatballs to the sauce, ensuring they're partially submerged.
Top Tip
If you want a more smoother tomato sauce you can add the plum tomatoes to a blender to get the consistency you like before adding them to the slow cooker.
Slow Cooker Cooking Instructions
Step 6: Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or until the meatballs are cooked through.
Before You Begin!
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Storing, Freezing, Thawing and Reheating Tips
Refrigerator: Store leftover meatballs and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezer: You can also freeze the leftover sauce in airtight containers for up to 3 months.
Thawing and Reheating: Thaw frozen meatballs and sauce overnight in the refrigerator, then gently reheat on the stovetop, in the microwave, or in the slow cooker.
📖 Recipe Card
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Slow Cooker Tomato Sauce with Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ cups breadcrumbs
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- ½ cup white onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon parsley dried
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 egg
- ¼ milk
Ingredients for the Homeamde Tomato Sauce
- 28 ounce can tomato puree
- 28 ounce can whole peeled plum tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon basil
- 2 tablespoons parsley
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ cup water
Instructions
For the Meatballs
- In a bowl, combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley and milk together in a large bowl.
- Shape into meatballs.
- After they have been formed, refrigerate them for 15 minutes to firm up before browning them in the frying pan.
- Add enough oil to cover the bottom of a heavy frying pan. Allow the oil to heat up and then add the meatballs.
- Brown the meatballs on all sides.
- Remove from the pan and allow to drain on paper towels for a few minutes while you prepare the tomato sauce.
For the Tomato Sauce
- Add the ingredients for the tomato sauce to the slow cooker.
- Use the back of a spoon or the meat chopped to break up the whole tomatoes.
- Add the meatballs.
- Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or until the meatballs are cooked through.
- Serve over cooked spaghetti.
Notes
This recipe has been updated since it first appeared in 2017 with new photos, information and a new printable recipe card that includes nutritional information. I hope you enjoy the updates as much as I enjoyed working on them!
Sara Rawson says
Wow, I'm so impressed with all of your recipes, they look amazing! Pinning this meal and the breadsticks too and following you on Pinterest so I can keep finding more of your recipes:) Thanks for linking up at the Home Matters Link Party! We hope to see you again next week:) #HomeMattersParty
Gina @ MoneywiseMoms says
I love making sauce in the slow cooker. It makes the whole house smell good all day! Thanks for joining us at Tasty Tuesdays this week.
Ali says
Your meatballs look fabulous and made my mouth water! I agree with you about the Pampered Chef garlic press, I've had mine for 13 years and still love it!