Slow Cooker Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic favorite that your family will love. This version is healthier thanks to the use of lower fat ground turkey.
You can hardly call slow cookers a technological marvel. They're pretty simple - a heating element, a heavy ceramic pot and maybe a timer. But here we are, nearly 50 years after they were invented and they're still as popular as ever. Why?
Because they're amazing. You put food in them, and a few hours later - without actually doing any work yourself, or even having to be present - it's done and you have a hot meal on the table.
I have to say I don't use my slow cooker nearly as much as I could (and probably should). But I have used it for a whole host of foods - soups, stews, sauces, and even desserts. And now, Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs.
I was inspired to make meatballs and the accompanying marinara sauce in my slow cooker after reading a recipe in The Complete Cook's Country TV Show Cookbook. Then, in my regular fashion, I altered it to fit with the tastes of my family as well as my nutritional preferences.
The meatballs are full of flavor, thanks to the use of Italian Sausage, but lower in fat and calories because they're made with ground turkey.
They're also gluten-free because they don't use any breadcrumbs or bread as a binder. Just egg and cheese (which adds even more flavor).
How to make Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs:
It can be a bit of a project to make this recipe. First you make a cooked onion mixture which is used in both the sauce and the meatballs. Then make the sauce, then the meatballs, then slow-cook them both before tossing it all with some spaghetti.
Tip 💡
Note that if you already have a meatball recipe that you like (or you have some frozen meatballs in the freezer), you can use that recipe and cook the meatballs in some sauce (this recipe, or a similar one) in the slow cooker.
The sauce, while incredibly simple, is also flavorful. I love the use of red wine in this recipe and I find it really adds to the flavor - I don't recommend omitting it.
However, I don't often have an open bottle of red wine (Mr. Dreamboat and I are usually beer drinkers), and I usually find a substitute for red wine in other recipes.
You can use half red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar and half water to make up the volume of red wine in a recipe (in this case, half a cup). However, I can't vouch for the results in this recipe, as I have always gone ahead and opened up a bottle of wine - I find it's not really that hard to make the leftovers disappear if I put my mind to it. 😉
Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs Ingredients:
- Olive oil
- Onions
- Tomato paste
- Garlic
- Dried oregano
- Red pepper flakes
- Salt
- Red wine
- Canned crushed tomatoes
- Parmesan
- Fresh basil
- Italian turkey sausage: or substitute regular (pork) Italian sausage
- Ground turkey: or substitute ground beef
- Mozzarella
- Large eggs
- Spaghetti: use gluten-free spaghetti if you need this recipe to be gluten-free
Want more spaghetti recipes?
Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs Nutrition Notes:
The above nutrition info uses both ground turkey and turkey Italian sausage. You can use regular pork Italian sausage if you wish, but the resulting dish will be slightly higher in total and saturated fat as well as calories.
The nutrition info also uses whole wheat pasta, which is what I generally use at home. You can certainly use regular spaghetti, but the fiber content of the dish will be lower.
Unlike many other meatball recipes, these ones are gluten-free. Just make sure to serve them with gluten-free pasta if you are making them for someone following a gluten-free diet.
Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
Onion Mixture
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3 small onions chopped
- 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 6 medium cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Sauce
- ½ cup red wine
- 2 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 ounce shredded Parmesan
- 2 Tablespoons minced basil
Meatballs
- 8 ounces Italian turkey sausage (see note)
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 ounces shredded Mozzarella
- 1 ounce shredded Parmesan
- 2 large eggs
- 2 medium cloves garlic minced
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 pound spaghetti (use gluten free spaghetti if you need to follow a gluten free diet)
Instructions
Onion Mixture
- Heat oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in the chopped onion, 1 6 ounce can tomato paste, minced garlic, 1 Tablespoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook until softened, and edges are beginning to brown, 8-10 minutes. Transfer half of the mixture to a large bowl.
Sauce
- Slowly stir ½ cup red wine into the remaining half of the onion mixture, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add2 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes and stir. Transfer the sauce to your slow cooker.
Meatballs
- Add 8 ounces Italian turkey sausage, 1 pound ground turkey, 2 ounces shredded Mozzarella, 1 ounce shredded Parmesan, 2 large eggs, minced garlic, and ¾ teaspoon salt to the bowl containing the onion mixture. Mix well with your hands and/or a potato masher. Form into roughly 1.5" balls (you should have about 24) and arrange on a large plate.
- Microwave the meatballs on high for about 5-7 minutes, until the outsides are firm and fat has begun to render. Transfer the meatballs to the slow cooker, nestling them into the sauce. Discard the rendered fat.
- Turn the slow cooker on low temperature, and cook for 4-5 hours until sauce is slightly thickened and reduced. Stir in 1 ounce shredded Parmesan and 2 Tablespoons minced basil.
- Cook spaghetti according to the instructions on package, in salted water. Serve meatballs and sauce over spaghetti.
Notes
Nutrition
**Recipe adapted from: The Complete Cook's Country TV Show Cookbook
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