WW Recipe of the Day: Slow Cooker Meatballs and Sauce
The easy slow cooker recipe is a great way to make homemade meatballs and sauce.
And you don't have to worry about the sauce bubbling over or scorching your pot during the long hours of simmering.
Easy Slow Cooker Meatballs and Sauce
And talk about easy, you don't even have to precook the meatballs.
Easy Slow Cooker Meatballs and Sauce Recipe Notes
Be sure to use at least 93% lean ground beef in this easy slow cooker meatballs and sauce recipe, so that it's not too greasy.
Ground turkey or a combination of ground turkey and turkey sausage would work well too.
Serve with whole wheat spaghetti, spaghetti squash or skinny zucchini noodles (aka "zoodles").
It would be delicious on toasted rolls with roasted bell peppers and melted cheese too.
How Many Calories and WW Points in these Slow Cooked Meatballs?
According to my calculations each serving has 408 calories and
8 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
8 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
8 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
10 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
Here's another favorite low calorie meatball recipe that cooks quickly thanks to the InstantPot - Instant Pot Italian Meatballs
Instant Pot (affiliate link) Italian Meatballs
Are You Ready To Slow Cook Yourself Slim?
If you've made these Crock Pot Meatballs, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Easy Slow Cooker Meatballs & Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-½ pounds 93% lean ground beef
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup Italian style bread crumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 jar (28 ounces) marinara sauce (I like Classico and Bertolli)
- 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes in puree
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf, optional
Instructions
- Ideal Slow Cooker Size: 4 to 6-Quart (Your slow cooker should be between ½ and ¾ full.)
- In a large bowl, gently mix together the beef, egg, bread crumbs, grated Parmesan, parsley, onion and garlic powder until well combined.
- Shape the mixture into 18 golf-ball sized meatballs.
- Place meatballs in the slow cooker.
- Stir together the marinara sauce, crushed tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning and bay leaf, if using. Pour over the meatballs.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, until the meatballs are cooked through.
- If you used a bay leaf, fish it out and discard before serving.
Recipe Notes
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
If You Like Easy Crock Pot Meatballs and Sauce, You Might Also Like:
- Easy Slow Cooker French Onion Meatballs Recipe (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- Easy Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- Crock Pot Italian Meatball Soup (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- Light Italian Meatballs (LaaLoosh)
- Weight Watchers Spaghetti & Chicken Meatballs (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- Super Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs (Weight Watchers)
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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Marge Morrison
This looks LOVELY! Have wanted to try crockpot sauce for a long time - never quite had the courage! But I truly think that this picture sells me -- I'm ready to give it a try!!! Can almost taste it now.
Mary
These meatballs looks delectable. I'll be trying this one soon. Thanks!
Martha McKinnon
Hope you like them, Mary!
Deb
Look delicious, but where do you use the sugar and is it really needed?
Debby
Excellent! I loved having this in the crockpot all day while I was busy with other things. Great flavor, nice meatballs, too.
Martha McKinnon
Thanks, Debby!
Kristine
Would you happen to know how many smart points just for the meatballs? I have a 0 SP Marinara I can use, so my points would only be for the balls. Thanks!
Martha McKinnon
Hi Kristine, unfortunately I don't but I am sure you can figure it out with the WW recipe builder. Just add up the meatball ingredients!!
Janice M Lloyd
Love your recipes, but I can't eat tomatoes and my husband doesn't like them cooked in any way - would love to find good slow cooker recipe for swedish meatballs. Do you have any?
Martha McKinnon
Hi Janice, I don't have one off the top of my head, but will add it to my list of recipes to find and share. Here's an easy meatball recipe that is tomato free: https://simple-nourished-living.com/easy-slow-cooker-french-onion-meatballs/
Patricia
Delicious
Nicole
Would you have a conversion for the instant pot?
Martha McKinnon
Hi Nicole, I haven't made meatballs in the Instant Pot. Here's one that should work: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/instant-pot-meatballs/ She cooked them for 5 minutes and then did a natural release for 10 minutes. Hope it helps. ~Martha
Tiger
Hi, I thought the recipe looked delish, however when I saw the fat and calories I was shocked! How could this recipe actually be 408 calories and 16 grams of fat. There must be something wrong because this isn't any kind of fat and calories I've ever seen for a Weight Watchers recipe before????