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.

Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs

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?

Spaghetti with Red Cabbage and Feta Cheese - Domestic Dreamboat #glutenfree #vegetarian #healthyeating — Spaghetti with Red Cabbage and Feta Cheese

Puttanesca in pot — Homemade Spaghetti Puttanesca

Cacio e Pepe - Spaghetti with Black Pepper and Cheese — Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe

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.