September 12, 2021
Make a big batch of these Whole30 Slow Cooker Meatballs for a delicious stress-free dinner! Easy, Whole30, Paleo friendly, and kid friendly meatballs in marinara sauce are an easy make ahead or easy weeknight dinner Serve on their own, over veggie or gluten free noodles.
Prior to becoming a parent, I used my slow cooker because I loved make slow cooked, comforting meals. Now with a toddler, my slow cooker is actually a necessity. I need meals I can easy throw in my crockpot for ease, but also because most crockpot recipes make A LOT. There are always leftovers from these meatballs to eat through out the week of freeze for later.
If you are a true Italian don’t @ me for no cheese or breadcrumbs in these meatballs.
If you believe that meatballs require breadcrumbs and parmesan I’m going to prove you wrong. These Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara are dairy free, gluten free, and Whole30 compliant and I can guarantee you won’t notice that those two ingredients are missing. In fact I bet you can feed these to the dairy & bread lovers in your family and non of them will notice either.
The Deets on the Slowcooker Meatballs
Each meatball is packed with plenty of seasoning, garlic, onion, and ground beef. They are so flavorful!
First we give the onion and garlic a little time in a skillet. This softens the onion and really brings out that garlic flavor.
Next combine the onion, garlic, ground beef, almond flour, egg and dried parsley. Use your hands to form them into golfball size meatballs.
Optional move here: You can brown the meatballs in the skillet. I think they maintain their shape better and the added caramelization is a boost of flavor in your crock pot but if this is a greater level of work than you want to do today. Well then mama, just throw those raw meatballs into the crockpot. okay?
Place the meatballs in the bottom of your slow cooker. Add the sauce ingredients. Cook on low for four to six hours.
How to serve slowcooker Italian Meatballs in Marinara
However you like, that’s how.
- Eat them on their own. They are hearty & dlish
- For Gluten Free: Serve over gluten free pasta
- For Whole30 / Paleo: Serve over veggie noodles
- For none of the above: Serve over your favorite type of pasta and maybe even through in a side of garlic bread.
Definitely serve with a side salad to add some freshness to this dish.
How to Freeze Meatballs:
Before Cooking:
Form meatballs and place on a baking sheet. Place baking sheet with meatballs in the oven and let them freeze. Transfer to an airtight container or bag. Store in the fridge for up to 3 months. When ready to cook, let thaw overnight. Follow recipe instructions for cooking meatballs.
After Cooking:
Let the meatballs and sauce cool.
Place in a labelled and dated airtight container or storage bag, squeezing out excess air.
Defrost in fridge overnight. Let simmer for 10 minutes before eating.
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment below and rate the recipe! You can also snap a picture and post it on Instagram using the hashtag #eatingataltitude. And of course be sure to follow Eating At Altitude on Instagram. You can also find me on Facebook and Pinterest. xo!
Slowcooker Meatballs in Marinara (Grain Free, Paleo & Whole30)
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 – 1.5 lbs ground beef
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 C almond flour
- 1 egg, whisked
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- pinch salt & pepper
Marinara Sauce
- 28 oz can Plum Tomatoes with sauce
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 of the diced onion and saute for 5 minutes or until translucent.
- Add 1/2 of the minced garlic to the pan and saute until fragrant. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl large enough to make the meatballs in.
- While the onion mixture cools, get the sauce started in the crock pot. Set the crockpot to low & Add the remaining raw onion & minced garlic (not the sauteed) to the crockpot. Then add in the remaining marinara ingredients.
- Using a wooden spoon or spatula (or your hands), break apart the tomatoes in the crockpot.
- Back to the bowl of sauteed onions & garlic. Add all of the meatball ingredients to the bowl. Using your hands, gently mix the ingredients until combined without over handling the meat mixture. Begin to form the meatballs into balls.
- Optional: Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs to the skillet & allow them to get browned on the surgace (about 1 minute per side). The middles should still be raw when adding the crockpot. Browning the meat balls just allows them to keep their shape and add a carmelized flavor to the sauce.
- Transfer all meatballs to the crockpot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- Serve alone, over spiralized veggies or with gluten free pasta. Enjoy!
