I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and this dish is still one that guests request frequently. It is my No. 1 standby recipe and also makes amazing meatball sandwiches. The sauce works for any type of pasta. —Jane Whittaker, Pensacola, Florida

Slow-Cooker Spaghetti & Meatballs

bread crumbs

grated Parmesan and Romano cheese blend

pepper

salt

eggs,

beef

SAUCE:

onion,

green pepper, finely chopped

tomato sauce

(14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained

(6 ounces) tomato paste

garlic cloves,

bay leaves

basil, oregano and parsley flakes

red pepper flakes

Hot spaghetti

Recipe was easy and delicious! Made 2 batches for my son’s offensive line and 3 boxes of spaghetti served 15 people with some leftovers. The only substitution was I used 1 1/2 pds of ground beef and 1/2 pd of mild sausage per batch. Also my meatballs were cooked through at about 3 1/2 hours on low in crockpot. Printed out and going into my must keep book of recipes…thank you!

I cannot give an honest review at the moment based on these meatballs but one thing i will say... This goes out to some people...(ahem)...JOHN, didnt your mom tell u if u have NOTHING nice to say, then keep your big fat mouth shut!! This is what irks me with people today. You can have an opinion and still be polite if u disagree. Why does this world seem to think its cool to be nasty to fellow human beings. Do u even take the time to think how you"d like it if someone did that to you. SHAME ON YOU!!! You deserve a dressing down. I think your review of her meatballs is BS!! How you like them meatballs!! Ha!!!

I'm giving some detail here to help others in planning.  While I appreciate taste comments, I also like some detail.I used a scoop, and got 54 meatballs, using my 1.5 inch scoop.   I tasted it halfway through.  I added a second can of paste, just because I like a very rich tomato flavor, and, like another poster, I thought there was a bite from the acidity, so I added two heaping tablespoons of brown sugar, which removed the sting.  I also put them on a baking rack on a lined cookie sheet and put them in the oven for about 30 minutes so there wasn't a mess on top of the stove to clean.  We froze three packages for extra meals.  My original plan had been pasta, but we did meatball sandwiches on a soft sub roll instead.Next time, I think I'd make two batches, cook all the meatballs, then mix the sauce, then freeze it, so that all I'd have to do is dump it all in the slow cooker, then freeze any extras after cooking.  Once committed to making something, doubling it is generally my rule.  Make one, freeze one.  But, making two of the original would really give extra meals, as cooking each batch will give me one meal of subs and one meal of pasta, plus three bags of entirely cooked meatballs and sauce for sandwiches.   So, for the two of us... 5 meals/batch.I also thought about browning the hamburger, with the onions, garlic, peppers, and tomato paste, and them making a thick meat sauce.  I let it set about an hour after the suggested time because my husband was late, and some of the meatballs fell apart during the extra cooking time.  Still delicious, but don't let them go beyond 6 hours.  The meat sauce and remaining meatballs will be used on pasta for a second meal.I've never found a great meatball recipe I liked, so this one might be it.  They would work well in Swedish meatballs, and sweet and sour.I did think that the ratio of sauce to meatballs was off, and I considered making an extra half batch of sauce, but the original recipe filled my 6 quart cooker.  I had enough sauce to cover them, but it was only about an inch from the top.  I would not have had room for any more sauce.   If you really want sauce and meatballs, make them bigger, or half the meatball portion, or make half into meatballs, and crumble half for a meat sauce with meatballs.  Another option would be to double the sauce, and freeze half the meatballs in one batch, and half in the second batch.  It all depends on if you want pasta or sandwiches, and how much sauce you want on your pasta.So, to be clear, I got 5 meals for 2 people.  I froze 3 bags, each with 12 meatballs and enough sauce for sandwiches (on the buns we use, 4 meatballs/sandwich).  I had one meal of sandwiches from what was left, and one meal of meatballs with meat sauce on pasta.I hope this detail helps someone.

I made this recipe exactly as stated, and agree that the meatballs could use some sausage.  They were really dry.  I probably wouldn't make this again.

After reading some of the reviews, I agree with Rus.  I'm 73 and my family owned and operated a successful restaurant for over 30 years.  There is nothing wrong with FINELY chopped onions in meatballs.  I will say that green peppers in the sauce is somewhat unusual, but not unheard of. FYI the spaghetti noodle was first invented in China, not Italy.

I made this for the first time and was disappointed in the meatballs. They seemed dry and not much flavor. I think using Italian sausage and ground beef would have made a tastier meatball. Will not be making this recipe again.

Served my family at Xmas. Added ground pork and had this available for sandwhiches. Huge hit.

So easy, the house smelled amazing all day while cooking. Used diced tomatoes as someone suggested, other than that made it exactly like the recipe. Other than baked my meatballs instead of frying (they still cook up brown with a little crispness. Loved the addition of the crushed red pepper, just enough zip to the sauce.I am half Italian (the better half) and have been making my grandmothers sauce and meatballs for years, this recipe is so much quicker to toss together and still get the taste of a home made sauce! Thank you!

Recipe was great but I wondered why no mushrooms were mentioned. Anyway, I used a pound of veal and a pound of ground beef for my meatballs and I think I nailed it. Definitely going in my recipe list.

I was looking for a spaghetti and meatballs recipe specifically for the slow cooker. Found this one, and it is a keeper. My Calabrian husband gave it two thumbs up.  Besides meatballs I did add sausage, stew meat and a half a cup of red wine. Other than that followed the recipe as written. My husband complaint with American style sauces is they are usually too sweet. The bay leaves added the right amount of sweetness. I would say any southern Italian would be happy with this sauce.

EXCELLENT. All-star recipe and crowd-pleaser (but you will want leftovers). Some trouble the night before, but well worth it. I followed the recipe exactly & results are a mild but flavorful sauce & tasty meatballs. Score another home run for the slow cooker.

Made this for the first time last night.  My husband and son absolutely loved it.  Will make this again soon.

We loved this!! Great, easy recipe! Excellent flavor. I did use my own meatballs as I had some frozen. I aslo added a pinch or two of commonly used regional seasonings for spaghetti - anise and cinnamon. I used italian style stewed tomatoes and tomato puree for most of the sauce called for as I only had one small can of sauce.  And I added a little sugar - the brand of tomato products I used is pretty acidic and I needed to tone that down. I was out of red pepper flakes so I subbed pure chili powder and it worked fine. I was crunched for time so I simmered this on the stove and did have to add a little water to maintain correct consistency.  I'm sure you think my additions change the recipe, but they really don't. The original integrity was maintained. I used the leftovers to make the cannelloni style lasagna also in the December issue!

Absolutely loved this recipe!  I can't get my 10 year old to eat meat sauce, but she gobbled up the meatballs.  I have always wanted a good sauce recipe (we always used jar sauce) and this is the one.  Even the picky husband liked it, so it's definitely a keeper!  Thank you for sharing Jane!!

This recipe got me so many compliments! I followed the ingredient list and cooking method exactly. For us, it's a keeper.

Wow!  I've used jar sauce, and have made a simple sauce of my own..but this one is just AWESOME!  Next time may make more meatballs, because the sauce and meatballs make a hell of a meatball sub.   Put leftovers on an Italian sub roll, with a sprinkle of fresh mozzarella.  EXCELLENT.  This one's a keeper.

The meatballs were very good, and the sauce was easy to throw together.

Mama mia!  I loved this recipe!  My meatballs were a little over done on the bottom, even on low heat.  So I set the oven to 350 degrees and baked the meatballs in a covered casserole dish.  They turned out tender and delicious!

https://videodam.tmbi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/FM5AZxr9-Uot7Fvi8.mp4

Check out this video for how to make Slow Cooker Spaghetti And Meatballs

slow-cooker spaghetti & meatballs

Prep Time: 50 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours

Total: 5 hours, 50 minutes

Servings: 12

Cost: $3.12 /serving

Author : Taste of Home

Ingredients

Instructions

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