Who doesn’t love meatballs? How about self saucing meatballs? So how about self saucing meatballs in the slow cooker, what could be easier? You can even make the meatballs the night before then just pop it all together in the slow cooker in the morning and come home to a wonderful cooked meal from scratch for the family.
Serve with zoodles and you have a nutritious healthy easy dinner. Who says eating real food has to be difficult or complicated?
Self Saucing Meatballs In The Slow Cooker
The meatballs are all made in the food processor, then rolled and placed directly into the removable slow cooker dish. This step can even be done the night before and kept covered in the fridge so you are ready for the morning rush. The beauty of the self saucing tomato sauce, is that all the lovely juices and fats that come out of the meatballs as they cook, helps thicken and make a rich, filling yet delicate sauce.
The sauce is not a traditional store bought tomato sauce, but more of a tomato gravy which I spoon over the meatballs and zoodles, then sprinkle with parmesan or grated cheese. If the tomato gravy separates, just stir it together to mix the oils, tomatoes and flavours together.
To serve self saucing meatballs in the slow cooker with zoodles take a look at the recipe here. They are such a healthy alternative to processed pasta. Get your children to have a crack making them. Mine love cranking the handle and watching the zucchini spirals take shape.
The meatballs can be made the night before.
In the morning, add the sauce ingredients and let it simmer all day.
Self Saucing Meatballs In The Slow Cooker
Equipment
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 onion quartered
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 slices bacon diced
- 1 kg ground/mince beef
- favourite herbs - I use rosemary thyme, oregano, marjoram and sage
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper to taste
Self Saucing Tomato Sauce
Instructions
Meatballs
- Oil the inside of the slow cooker dish so the meatballs won't stick.
- Place the quartered onions, whole garlic and bacon in the food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
- Add the ground/mince meat, herbs and egg. Pulse until smooth.
- Remove the blade and roll a generous spoon of the mixture into meatballs, placing each one into the slow cooker dish.
Self Saucing Tomato Sauce
- Pour over the meatballs, the tinned chopped tomatoes. You can use fresh tomatoes but the tinned tomatoes tend to work better and produce a thick sauce.
- I cook on LOW for 6-10 hours or HIGH for 4-6 hours. But be guided by your own experience with your own slow cooker instructions as they all vary.
So what is your favourite slow cooker meal? Leave a comment below.
Rebekah says
Can this meal be frozen? Can the preformed meatballs be frozen for later use?
Shelley Wilson says
I will make this tomorrow with kangaroo mince. Will post how it goes.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Only those of us who are Kiwis and Aussies will understand you can buy kangaroo mince 😉 Let me know how it works out.
Amy says
Hi! I know I’m late to the game but just discovered your site! I made this with petite diced tomatoes because I couldn’t find chopped tomatoes and while the meatballs were good, the tomatoes didn’t make a sauce at all—they didn’t break down at all. I’m not sure what chopped are —is it more thin, like tomato sauce?? I love the ease of this recipe so I’m really wanting to figure out how to make it work! Thanks
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Welcome, so glad you discovered me 🙂 Yes the tinned/canned tomatoes generally have a tomato puree or liquid with them. There is nothing added to the tomatoes, just their appearance is incredibly more diced than we can do at home with fresh tomatoes. Maybe crush your tomatoes next time if you are lucky enough to use fresh tomatoes. That will produce a tomato base, that will create the sauce.
Amy says
Thanks, I’ll give it a try!
Angeline Newson says
I’m not a fan of tomatoes. Could I use tomato puree instead?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
The sauce would turn out to be quite thick, but it might just work. Take a look at the nutrition labels, the puree sometimes is higher in carbs especially if it is the concentrated version.
Mary wood says
Hi Libby … just to let you know this recipe is amazingly tasty.
I cut more carbs (5 net carbs per 100g meatball) by only adding a 400g can of chopped tomatoes about 1/2 cup of water to rinse the can which I added to the mix, 65 grams of streaky bacon, 30 grams of finely chopped leeks and the rest of the ingredients. I also didn’t use a blender (too lazy to get it out) … just following your mantra about saving time lol and finely diced and mixed with my hands.
Cooked on very low on stovetop (about 4 on the dial) for 50 mins with the lid on and turned off after the 50 minutes– I didn’t take the lid off, just let it cook in the trapped heat. I then warmed up on medium for dinner.
What I couldn’t believe was how insipid it looked before cooking it and then it turned into this so delicious dish. I served it with 100g of cooked cabbage (the pasta component) and topped with shredded parmesan cheese.
Guess what we are having for dinner tonight … leftovers mmm mmm
Thank you again.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Wow Mary, thank you so much for adding your twist on the self saucing meatball recipe. It sounds amazing and I especially love the idea cabbage and parmesan. I can only imagine the amazing cooking smells filling your house right now 🙂 Enjoy.
Anna Oates says
Another fabulous recipe Libby. I’ll be making these on a regular basis. I used rosemary from my garden as well as parsley and basil. I added a little tomato puree to the sauce at the end and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. I garnished with fresh basil and served with steamed long stem broccoli and griddled courgettes. Delicious!
I made the KFC chicken a few days ago but did small pieces of chicken breast to make nuggets. Will be having that again tonight because they were so awesome. I don’t know what I’d do without your recipes. ?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Wow Anna, what a wonderful recipe review to open this morning. It makes me so happy when I receive feedback like this. 🙂
Jennifer says
About how many meatballs is one serving?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
The recipe serves 8. I haven’t put a number of meatballs as everyone will make different sizes and hence make a larger or smaller number of meatballs. The recipe always serves enough for my family of 5 with leftovers for my 3 children to have it again the next day.
Fiona Smith says
This will be s definite go to recipe in our house! Its amazing how such simple ingredients can turn out so yummy!! The sauce was so good and we got two full meals for our family of 4 plus lunch for me tomorrow. Thanks for another awesome recipe!
Julie says
Just stopping by to leave my comment and my thanks for this recipe! It was supper last night, with leftovers being tonight’s supper. It’s a keeper! I love how you simplify steps (uncooked bacon!)!!! I’m planning on making your stuffed meatballs and though I love cream cheese, I was wondering if string cheese would be a suitable alternative? I’ve even thought to make it into a meatloaf. I might just have to make it both ways! 🙂 Thanks again, Libby!
Malkah says
I am Jewish and do not eat bacon – what can I use instead?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Feel free to replace it with any other smoked flavour or meat that is Kosher. I believe you may be able to buy Kosher bacon? I’m not sure what ingredients go into such a product however.
Deb says
These are simple and tasty. Very pleased as they are moist and soft. I think I will add more garlic next time and possibly some pine nuts. The crock pot approach is perfect. I would like to post a photo of the finished meatballs on my plate next to a green salad.
Kim says
Hi, Made these today and the flavour was lovely, but unfortunately the meatballs were very dry. In fact when i checked them about 3 hours in (on low) they seemed overdone. Any thoughts on why? They were quite big and I just used regular mince (not premium). I did blend them quite a bit in the food processor, maybe I over did that? Any thoughts would be great, as would love to make this recipe work :-). Many thanks
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Hmm, the only reason I can think of is that they were overworked in the food processor so the lovely fats melted and were released into the sauce? They shouldn’t be dry at all because they are cooked in diced tomatoes. Maybe next time just work them by hand and see if you get a better result. Some food processors are incredibly powerful.
Kim says
Great thanks for that, will try that next time. The flavour was lovely.
JC says
How many meatballs is in a serving and how many meatballs does this recipe usually yield? Thank you!
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
It really depends on how big you make the meatballs. I know it served my family of 5 then there were 3 leftover portions which I froze to keep for another day.
Yvonne van der Westhuizen says
Please more slow cooker recipes!!
I love your recipes you share with us!
Paprika chicken in my slow cooker as we speak!
Thank you Libby
?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Will do. It’s winter here soon so I’ll develop some more 🙂
Yvonne van der Westhuizen says
Thank you!
Primrose Jones says
I agree – more slow cooker recipes as although I have some of my own it’s nice to try new ones too!
Farha says
Made these last night – so easy and delish!
We had ours with Cauli mash and took the leftovers for lunch the next day on a bed of spinach.
Wonderful mid-week dish that satisfied the entire family.
Val says
This recipe is one of my family favorites! I make it quite often. With zoodles,a side salad or just by themselves, they’re a hit every time! I love letting them cook overnight and waking up to that delicious aroma!
Celia says
Do you need to brown the meatballs prior to placing them in the slow cooker?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
No, I just roll them quite firmly and pop them in. I have trialled many slow cooker recipes with browning meat and again without, and I found it makes little difference. If I had to brown meat before putting in the slow cooker, I know I wouldn’t have time in the morning and hence defeat the purpose of being an easy to prepare meal for when we get home. I like to make my recipes as simple as possible (and cut our any unnecessary steps). 🙂
Andreas says
I used to have cancer, so I’m reading up quite a lot about what to avoid regarding nutrition. On quite a few occasions I read that tinned tomatoes are very carcinogenic. Just a concern.
DeltaErin says
Hi Andrea – I too am a cancer survivor. Yay us! I live in British Columbia and can buy organic cooked tomatoes as well as tomato pastes in glass jars instead of cans. Check with your local health food store and hopefully they’ll carry something too.
And thanks for the swell recipes Libby – I just received a slow cooker as an early Christmas present and am oh so keen to try your recipes. Oh boy! ?
Cheryl says
Ive just made this and…Oh my goodness!!!! Amazing comfort food with little to no effort. I served it with zoodles and it is decadent. Thank you so much for adding a divine recipe for our Low Carb High Fat lifestyle. Very rare for me to not tweek or edit a recipe ive found on Pinterest…this is just PERFECT as is!!!!!!
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Ah Cheryl that is so lovely 🙂 . It’s pretty darn easy and healthy isn’t it? I love developing recipes which are as easy as possible. It just shows you that good, real food and good, home cooking doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming. And I’m with you on the tweaking recipes, I’m always doing that, hence me tweaking everything now to be LCHF family friendly.
Anne C says
This looks great, and I’ll be trying it soon with some different ground meats as I don’t eat beef. I think ground pork or bulk Italian sausage might work well, and possibly ground turkey or bison if I add some fat to it. Thank you!
chris says
I made this tonight and it’s absolutely delicious and quick too! For the herbs I added 1/2 tsp. each of dried basil, sage, rosemary, and thyme. I love how the bacon taste is subtle but not overpowering. I served this with steamed green beans and baked sweet potatoes. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Kristie says
the only thing I did different (possibly) to the recipe was use very lean beef — don’t do it! Way too dry, unedible…If I do this again, I’ll use fattier beef…It seems like a great recipe, though.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Nooooo, step away from the lean meat 😉 The fat is needed for the amazing flavour and to keep us full. 🙂
lowcarbdiabeticJan says
Another very good idea Libby.
I do think too that it can be so handy to cook extra and use it for lunch the following day …
All the best Jan
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Jan I so agree. Leftovers are so overlooked and just the easiest thing. Making double doesn’t take much extra time, but you have a proper home cooked meal ready when you need it.
Hélène says
So all the sauce ingredients are in the mtballs; genius!
Trying this soon…Im on a crockpot kick. Made Salsa Chicken the other nite, then crocked greens & brussels in the liquid then rinsed the crock and filled it up with beef roast ingredients and put in fridge. Crocked it the next day lol …and I have gravy makings/rice broth concentrate left from that liquid. (my kids still eat rice and oats)
Someday I may even make soup again in my crock lol
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
I couldn’t live without my crockpot/slow cooker. It makes life sooo easy after a long day and coming home late from sports/activities with the children. And yes soup is great in the crockpot/slow cooker. Just throw everything in, then blend it with the stick blender when you get home (if you want a smooth soup). Real food, real easy 🙂
Michelle says
Are tinned tomatoes …canned tomatoes?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Yes 🙂
cathy says
Pre cooked bacon?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
No raw bacon, it will be cooked along with the meatballs in the slow cooker.
Paul says
Are the tinned tomatoes drained?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
No, I buy the chopped tomatoes tinned. They come with their lovely tomato juices which makes the sauce amazing.
Susan says
About how many meatballs do you make?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Gosh i cant remember, it states feeds 8 as our family of 5 can eat this for dinner, and there are still leftovers for the next days lunchbox. Each meatball is similar in size to a golfball.
Geena says
You don’t specify. Do we set the slow cooker to low or high?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Hey thanks for pointing this out Geena, I’ve added this to the recipe “I cook on LOW for 6-10 hours or HIGH for 4-6 hours. But be guided by your own experience with your own slow cooker instructions as they all vary.”