This is a good ole meatball recipe. Instead of your classic beef meatballs these are made with with ground turkey. It’s a feel good, fill-you-up kind of meal that you can put on the table without doing much work at all. That’s whats great with a slow cooker. The meatballs are packed with tons of flavor and covered with a simple tomato sauce. Serve them up as meatball sub, eat them with spaghetti or pair it with a salad and cheesy garlic bread.
Ingredients:
*Makes 25-30 medium meatballs
- 1 large egg
- 1 pound 97-98% lean ground turkey
- 1 pound 92-93% lean ground turkey
- 2/3 cup (40g) Panko
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) olive oil
- 1/4 cup (22g) grated parmesan cheese
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 large onion sweet onion, sliced
- two 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
- chopped fresh basil for serving, optional
Directions:
Beat the egg in a large mixing bowl. Add the ground turkey, Panko, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, parmesan, garlic, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix everything up just so the ingredients are combined – avoid overmixing. Roll into desired size balls – mine were slightly larger than a golfball. Some people prefer them larger, some prefer them smaller. Place all rolled meatballs on a large baking sheet.
Place onion slices in the bottom of the crockpot, topped with 1 can of crushed tomatoes.
Coat a large skillet with remaining Tablespoon of olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Lightly brown the meatballs (only 6-8 meatballs at a time) for about 1 minute on each side. Do not skip this step – read above for why. Layer the meatballs into the crockpot as you’re browning each batch. Once all browned meatballs have been added to the crockpot, pour remaining can of tomatoes on top.
Cover and cook on low for 6-6.5 hours. Serve with pasta, as meatball subs, plain, etc. No matter how I serve them, I always top with a little chopped fresh basil. Store leftovers covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
MAKE AHEAD/FREEZE: Prepare meatballs through the browning stage; cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day or freeze up to 2 months. Add to crockpot and cook as directed. OR you may fully prepare 1 day in advance, refrigerate, then cook in the crockpot on low for 45 minutes or until warmed. Freeze cooked meatballs in sauce for up to 2 months. Defrost before reheating as desired.
