Easy crockpot meatballs are melt in your mouth tender and juicy with big Italian flavor. There's no need to precook them before dropping in the slow cooker, either. And, they freeze like a charm, cooked or uncooked.
Mix all of the ingredients except the marinara together in a large bowl with your hands to be sure the seasonings are evenly distributed.
Form into 16 to 24 meatballs.
You may stop and freeze at this point.
When ready to cook add the marinara to a slow cooker.
Add the meatballs and spoon some of the marinara over the top.
Cook on low 6 hours if thawed, 8 - 10 hours from frozen.
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Notes
Storage:Place leftover cooked meatballs in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 days.These freeze well cooked or uncooked. See the storage section in the post for details.Tips:
Cook on low never on high. The meatballs are likely to fall apart on high.
You can substitute all Parmesan for the breadcrumbs if you want to - just make sure you're using the shelf stable Parmesan on the shelf not the fresh kind from the deli.
Use a VERY lean ground beef. If there's a secret to making these that's it. The more fat that's in the beef the more fat will be in your sauce and the meatballs will be more likely to fall apart. Plus there will be a thick layer of grease at the top of your sauce and it's kind of gross.
Don't add onion or vegetables to the meatballs. Too much moisture. Use onion powder and garlic powder.
Don't add too much sauce - you can always add more before serving.
Freeze raw meatballs on a baking sheet and put them in freezer containers when frozen.
To freeze cooked meatballs let them cool to room temperature, seal in a freezer safe container, and freeze for up to 6 months.