That is my easy and traditional household recipe for sluggish cooker turkey meatballs in marinara sauce. They’re simple to prep, further tender, and seasoned good. To actually lock within the taste and moisture, I like to recommend shortly pan-searing the meatballs on the range earlier than ending them within the sluggish cooker. These saucy turkey meatballs are so versatile—get pleasure from them in meatball sandwiches, on their very own alongside a salad and cheese breadsticks, or, naturally, on prime of spaghetti!
I initially printed this recipe in 2014 and have since added new images and some extra success ideas.
Turkey meatballs are a satisfying, feel-good, fill-you-up sort of dish that may feed quite a few individuals and doesn’t require a lot prep work. And when you respect the comfort of utilizing a sluggish cooker for hen and corn soup, sluggish cooker hen chili, turkey chili, and honey teriyaki hen, you’ll find it irresistible much more for these turkey meatballs.
One reader, Isabel, commented: “These had been sooo good! I made them final evening for my household and so they had been tender and stuffed with taste. Will certainly make once more! I additionally cooked these on excessive for 4 hours and it labored completely. ★★★★★”
One other reader, Jennifer, commented: “Wholesome. simple. make forward. satisfying…… SO FREAKING DELICIOUS! ★★★★★”
Inform Me About These Turkey Meatballs
- Taste: Garlic, onion, and a little bit parmesan cheese collectively add heaps of taste to this sluggish cooker dinner recipe. Add some herbs and a little bit salt & pepper around the flavors out. These taste additions are pantry staples—you don’t want something fancy right here.
- Texture: Through the use of lean floor turkey, we’re in a position to preserve the meatballs gentle, moist, tender, and nonetheless filled with taste. In comparison with many recipes, the meatball combination is gentle on the breadcrumbs. An excessive amount of can take away from the meatball’s melt-in-your-mouth texture, so add simply sufficient to assist bind.
- Ease: This uncomplicated, unfussy meal doesn’t require a lot work. Apart from some chopping and shaping the meatballs, there’s temporary cooking on the range, however then the sluggish cooker takes over.
These scrumptious turkey meatballs will get you all of the compliments with out all of the work.
You Want These Components:
For the meatballs, use about 93% lean, 7% fats floor turkey. You can use floor beef or hen as an alternative, when you want. You additionally want an egg to bind the elements collectively. Breadcrumbs are one other binding agent, and you should use panko, common, complete wheat, Italian seasoned, and even gluten free.
You additionally want recent parmesan cheese, garlic, and seasonings. You’ll use garlic within the do-it-yourself marinara-style sauce, too.
Combine all the pieces collectively, after which roll the combination into balls.
Sear the Meatballs First
We will skip pan-searing when making hen meatballs that bake within the oven, however this step is important for immediately’s recipe. Gently searing the turkey meatballs in a skillet on the range browns the exteriors and seals in all of the juicy moisture. (Taste, taste, taste!) If you happen to skip this step, the meatballs will simply crumble aside within the crockpot.
This step solely takes about 10–quarter-hour complete, after which it’s the sluggish cooker’s flip to take over.
Marinara Sauce for Turkey Meatballs
I wish to preserve the sauce easy as a result of these flavorful turkey meatballs are the star of the present. You want some cans of crushed tomatoes, a little bit tomato paste for thickening the sauce, and a few chopped candy onion and seasoning for taste.
You should use plain crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted, or the type with basil—simply keep away from utilizing reduced-salt or no-salt-added varieties. This sluggish cooker recipe makes a whole lot of sauce, which is ideal for making magnificently messy meatball subs, or when you’re serving your meatballs over spaghetti.
Layer the onion, half of the crushed tomatoes, and the tomato paste into the underside of your sluggish cooker. Place the seared turkey meatballs on prime, then pour the remaining crushed tomatoes over the meatballs. Add within the remaining seasonings, give all of it a stir, and your work right here is finished! Pop that lid on and let the sluggish cooker do its factor.
You possibly can cook dinner on low for about 6—7 hours, or pace issues up by cooking on excessive for about 4 hours.
A Useful Make-Forward Dinner Recipe
There are various methods to get a soar on dinner with this turkey meatballs recipe. Having firm over tomorrow? Brown the meatballs as instructed and preserve them within the fridge till the next day, then switch them to the sluggish cooker. Or freeze now to get pleasure from through the colder months. Or cook dinner immediately, then reheat tomorrow simply earlier than dinnertime.
Serve Turkey Meatballs With:
Gradual Cooker Turkey Meatballs
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook dinner Time: 6 hours
Whole Time: 6 hours, 35 minutes
Yield: 30-34 meatballs
Class: Appetizers
Technique: Cooking
Delicacies: American
Description
That is my favourite recipe for traditional sluggish cooker turkey meatballs in a do-it-yourself marinara-style sauce. They’re simple to prep, further tender, and seasoned good.
Directions
- With a big spoon or spatula, combine collectively all of the meatball elements in a big bowl till simply mixed—keep away from overmixing.
- Scoop a portion of the combination, about 2 Tablespoons (30–35g) in dimension, roll right into a ball along with your arms, and place on a baking sheet or giant plate lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining combination. You need to have round 30–34 meatballs. Put aside.
- Grease a (4-quart or bigger) sluggish cooker with nonstick spray (or a drizzle of olive oil). Place the onions within the sluggish cooker, then pour 1 can of crushed tomatoes over prime of the onions. Add within the tomato paste and garlic, and stir gently to mix.
- Warmth a big skillet over medium-high warmth, after which add in a Tablespoon of olive oil and swirl to coat. Working in batches, sear the meatballs (about 6–8 meatballs at a time, or nonetheless many slot in your skillet) for about 1 minute on both sides, till browned. Place the browned meatballs within the sluggish cooker. As soon as all browned meatballs have been added to the sluggish cooker, pour the remaining can of crushed tomatoes on prime, and add within the crushed purple pepper flakes and bay leaves.
- Cowl with the lid and cook dinner on low for six–7 hours. (You may as well cook dinner on excessive for about 4 hours if that works higher on your day.) Take away and discard the bay leaves.
- Serve heat meatballs with sauce over your selection of pasta, in a sub roll, or on their very own. High with chopped basil, parsley, or recent parmesan cheese, if desired.
- Retailer leftovers lined tightly within the fridge for as much as 1 week.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: Put together meatballs via the browning step; cowl and refrigerate for as much as 1 day or freeze for as much as 2 months. Add to sluggish cooker together with sauce elements and cook dinner as directed (no have to thaw). OR you’ll be able to totally put together 1 day upfront, refrigerate, then reheat within the sluggish cooker on low for 45 minutes or till warmed. Freeze cooked meatballs in sauce in an hermetic freezer-safe container for as much as 2 months. Thaw within the fridge earlier than reheating as desired.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Glass Mixing Bowl | Baking Sheet | Gradual Cooker (4 quarts or bigger) similar to this one or this one | Skillet
- No Gradual Cooker? No Downside! Put together as directed, however as an alternative of a sluggish cooker, use a big pot on the range. Simmer the browned meatballs over medium-low warmth till the sauce thickens barely and the meatballs are cooked via, 25–35 minutes.
- Turkey: I at all times use 93% lean floor turkey, however you may make these meatballs with floor beef, hen, or pork when you want. If you happen to use extra-lean turkey, the meatballs can style a bit dry.
- Breadcrumbs: I want panko for texture, however it’s possible you’ll use plain, Italian seasoned, whole-wheat, or do-it-yourself dry breadcrumbs as an alternative. To make your personal: Trim the crusts off 2 slices of stale bread. Reduce or tear bread into items and pulse in a meals processor till coarse crumbs type. Unfold breadcrumbs on a baking sheet and bake at 250°F (121°C) till dry, about 12–14 minutes. This makes about 2/3 cup crumbs.