Sluggish Cooker Turkey Meatballs – Sally’s Baking Habit

That is my easy and traditional household recipe for sluggish cooker turkey meatballs in marinara sauce. They’re straightforward to prep, additional 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 high of spaghetti!

I initially revealed this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photographs and some extra success suggestions.

Turkey meatballs are a satisfying, feel-good, fill-you-up form of dish that may feed a variety of folks and doesn’t require a lot prep work. And if you happen to 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 like it much more for these turkey meatballs. 

One reader, Isabel, commented: “These have been sooo good! I made them final night time for my household they usually have been tender and crammed 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. straightforward. make forward. satisfying…… SO FREAKING DELICIOUS! ★★★★★”

Inform Me About These Turkey Meatballs

• Taste: Garlic, onion, and slightly parmesan cheese collectively add heaps of taste to this sluggish cooker dinner recipe. Add some herbs and slightly salt & pepper around the flavors out. These taste additions are pantry staples—you don’t want something fancy right here.
• Texture: By utilizing lean floor turkey, we’re in a position to maintain the meatballs mild, moist, tender, and nonetheless filled with taste. In comparison with many recipes, the meatball combination is mild 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 transient 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. It’s no shock that it tops my 30 scrumptious fall dinner recipe concepts.

You Want These Substances:

For the meatballs, use about 93% lean, 7% fats floor turkey. You can use floor beef or hen as an alternative, if you happen to want. You additionally want an egg to bind the substances collectively. Breadcrumbs are one other binding agent, and you need to use panko, common, complete wheat, Italian seasoned, and even gluten free.

You additionally want contemporary parmesan cheese, garlic, and seasonings. You’ll use garlic within the selfmade marinara-style sauce, too.

Combine every little thing 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 at present’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!) In case you 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 prefer to maintain the sauce easy as a result of these flavorful turkey meatballs are the star of the present. You want some cans of crushed tomatoes, slightly 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 numerous sauce, which is ideal for making magnificently messy meatball subs, or if you happen to’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 high, 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’ll be able to cook dinner on low for about 6—7 hours, or velocity issues up by cooking on excessive for about 4 hours.

Serve Turkey Meatballs With:

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Sluggish Cooker Turkey Meatballs

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  Creator: Sally
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  Prep Time: 35 minutes
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  Cook dinner Time: 6 hours
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  Whole Time: 6 hours, 35 minutes
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  Yield: 30-34 meatballs
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  Class: Appetizers
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  Technique: Cooking
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  Delicacies: American

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Description

That is my favourite recipe for traditional sluggish cooker turkey meatballs in a selfmade marinara-style sauce. They’re straightforward to prep, additional tender, and seasoned good.

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Directions

1. With a big spoon or spatula, combine collectively all of the meatball substances in a big bowl till simply mixed—keep away from overmixing.
2. Scoop a portion of the combination, about 2 Tablespoons (30–35g) in measurement, roll right into a ball together with your arms, and place on a baking sheet or massive plate lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining combination. You must have round 30–34 meatballs. Put aside.
3. 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 high of the onions. Add within the tomato paste and garlic, and stir gently to mix.
4. 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 all 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 high, and add within the crushed crimson pepper flakes and bay leaves.
5. Cowl with the lid and cook dinner on low for six–7 hours. (It’s also possible to cook dinner on excessive for about 4 hours if that works higher in your day.) Take away and discard the bay leaves.
6. 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 contemporary parmesan cheese, if desired.
7. Retailer leftovers coated tightly within the fridge for as much as 1 week.

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Notes

1. 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 substances and cook dinner as directed (no must thaw). OR you’ll be able to absolutely 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.
2. Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Glass Mixing Bowl | Baking Sheet | Sluggish Cooker (4 quarts or bigger) equivalent to this one or this one | Skillet
3. No Sluggish Cooker? No Drawback! 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.
4. Turkey: I at all times use 93% lean floor turkey, however you may make these meatballs with floor beef, hen, or pork if you happen to want. In case you use extra-lean turkey, the meatballs can style a bit dry.
5. Breadcrumbs: I want panko for texture, however you could use plain, Italian seasoned, whole-wheat, or selfmade dry breadcrumbs as an alternative. To make your individual: Trim the crusts off 2 slices of stale bread. Minimize or tear bread into items and pulse in a meals processor till coarse crumbs kind. 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.