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Slow Cooker Homemade Tomato Sauce with Meatballs

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Tomato Sauce, Slow Cooker, Pasta
Author: Lois

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • ½ cups bread crumbs
  • 2 cloves of garlic; crushed
  • 1 TBS dried parsley
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. pepper
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup milk

Tomato Sauce

  • 1 - 28 oz. can tomato puree
  • 1 - 28 oz. can whole peeled plum tomatoes
  • 2 cloves garlic; crushed
  • 1 TBS. dried basil leaves
  • 2 TBS. dried parsley
  • 2 tsp. sugar
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • ½ cup water

Instructions

Meatballs

  • In a bowl, combine the meat, garlic, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, pepper, parsley, and milk together in a large bowl.
  • Shape into meatballs and then chill for 15-30 minutes so they firm up.
  • Heat just enough oil to cover the bottom of a heavy frying pan. My heavy pan needs 2 TBS. oil.
  • Add the meatballs to the frying pan and brown on all sides. You are not cooking them all the way, you are just browning them.
  • Remove the meatballs from the pan and place on a baking tray that is covered with paper towels to drain.
  • Continue with the directions for the homemade tomato sauce and then add the meatballs.

Tomato Sauce

  • Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker.
  • Gently break up the plum tomatoes using the back of a spoon, potato masher or a Pampered Chef Mix 'n Chop Kitchen Tool.
  • Add the meatballs.
  • Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
  • Serve over pasta and enjoy.
  • Store unused tomato sauce and meatballs in the refrigerator or freezer.

Notes

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. My family likes chunky sauce, so I usually use my Mix 'n Chop Kitchen Tool from Pampered Chef to break up the tomatoes before adding the meatballs. I also like to add a little wedge of Parmesan cheese to the slow cooker to give it extra flavor.