Slow Cooker Turkey Meatballs in Marinara
These turkey meatballs simmer in an easy marinara sauce in the slow cooker! Each meatball is flavorful and packed with fresh herbs. In fact these beauties are gluten free and dairy free but they’ll make any meatball lover a fan at first bite.
Update: This recipe was originally published in 2018 and has been republished with all new photos.
I think I’m spending my life in pursuit of the perfect meatball. I’m not sad about it. I love them so. My current obsession is with these Slow Cooker Turkey Meatballs in Marinara. Oh heck yes.
I asked y’all in Instagram Stories last week what kind of recipe you’re most looking forward to and the answer was overwhelmingly to GIVE YOU ALL THE SLOW COOKER DINNERS.
So here they come, friends.
If you believe that meatballs require breadcrumbs and parmesan I’m going to prove you wrong. These Slow Cooker Turkey Meatballs in Marinara are dairy free, gluten free, and Whole30 compliant. You won’t notice it. In fact you can feed these to a whole herd of bread loving, dairy devouring, healthy food hating eaters and none of them will notice either. They’ll just eat them and ask for more. Trust me. I’ve tested that.
Each meatball is packed with fresh herbs, plenty of seasoning, garlic, onion, and ground turkey. They are so flavorful!
For this recipe you’ll need (full list of ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below):
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Minced garlic
- Lean ground turkey
- Fresh parsley
- Fresh basil
- Egg
- Canned crushed tomatoes
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Seasonings
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 all the meatball ingredients in a bowl. Use your hands to form them into balls. Mine are around 1 1/2 inches in diameter. This gives me 18 to 20 meatballs.
Ground turkey is much more mushy than ground beef so don’t feel the need to pack them tight. They’re not going to get firm until they’re cooked and that’s fine.
Place the meatballs in the bottom of your slow cooker. Add the sauce ingredients. Cover. Cook for 4 hours on high or 6 to 8 hours on low. You’re done!
Can you use ground beef?
Yes, so long as it’s very lean. Since we’re cooking these meatballs in the slow cooker with the marinara sauce it’s important to stick to lean ground meat. This way your marinara sauce won’t be greasy.
Should you brown the meatballs before adding to the slow cooker?
While I love getting a pretty browning on the outside it’s just an unnecessary step when you’re cooking them (a) in sauce and (b) in the slow cooker. Let’s keep it simple! Let that slow cooker do all the work for you!
Don’t you need breadcrumbs in meatballs?
Absolutely not! Breadcrumbs are typically used as a binder in meatballs but we’re using herbs instead. These fresh herbs add a bright fresh flavor that I think sets these meatballs apart!
How to serve this
I most often serve these over noodles, spaghetti squash, and zoodles.
If you’re not in the mood for noodles (of any kind) try this recipe over roasted veggies or wilted garlic spinach. Trust me, the meatballs and the sauce are good enough to stand alone.
Of course these are always yummy as an appetizer. Add a toothpick to these meatballs and they’re party ready!
Slow Cooker Turkey Meatballs in Marinara
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 lb lean ground turkey, can substitute lean ground beef if preferred
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Marinara Sauce
- 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet saute your diced onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium heat. When onion is almost done (close to translucent) add in the garlic. Give it a quick stir and remove from heat. (Garlic can get some browning but you don’t want to burn it.)
- In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients including the sauteed onion and garlic. Use your hands to gently roll into meatballs approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter. This produces 18 – 20 meatballs. (Ground turkey is mushy so don’t expect it to behave like ground beef. Your meatballs won’t be very firm until they’ve been cooked and that’s okay.)
- Place meatballs in the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Add all marinara ingredients to the slow cooker. Cover. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours.
- Garnish with additional fresh chopped parsley or basil if you like. For an entree, serve over noodles, spaghetti squash, zoodles, or veggies. Of course these meatballs also make a delicious appetizer!
55 Comments on “Slow Cooker Turkey Meatballs in Marinara”
Definitely weeknight friendly! My girls will love this for our next pasta night! Thanks!
Oh these meatballs look so pretty on top of that pasta! What a lovely cozy meal. The slow cooker sure makes these meatballs so tender and perfect.
These look amazingly delicious, I’ve never done turkey meatballs . .. err, but now I MUST. I’ve tested around with doing something similar (with beef) in the Instant Pot and browning beforehand, but also having done slow cooker agree that it’s not really a necessary step.
Oh yeah! Time to pull out the crock pot and put away the grill! Love this recipe.
I need to try this in my Instant pot stat! I love the flavor imparted to sauces when the meat is cooked IN the sauce!
Spaghetti with meatballs is a favorite meal around here that, I admit, I don’t make often enough. Your photos, however, have me drooling on my keyboard at 6:30 a.m., and I’m seriously wondering how realistic it is to make this my dinner plan for tonight…
Gorgeous recipe! Gorgeous photos!! I love your text, too, all you described about the recipe, the whys especially and the hows. Can’t wait to make this!
What a lovely simple meal. So healthy delicious and absolutely gorgeous!
I cannot get enough of my slow cooker I swear. I have never done meatballs in them before, I bet they are delicious!
I never knew meatballs could be so beautiful – your photography is as amazing as your cooking! I’m so looking forward to making these this week – just the perfect, easy slow cooker meal for a busy autumn week!
Truly excited to make these next week! I have all the ingredients and I can’t believe I’ve never made these in my slow cooker! Thanks for the super idea/recipe!!
Oh yum! What a fantastic cozy Sunday supper, meatballs are like the ultimate comfort food to me!
Ice never tried turkey meatballs but since I’m trying to lose weight, I’m trying the turkey meatballs for the first time in my slow cooker. My son will love them I’m sure, I’m a beef person but totally willing to try them. I will report how they turned out.
Can these be done in a instapot?
Thanks
Emily
Delicious! We’ve made this many times. I’ve started doubling it because they keep beautifully and, dare I say, taste better the next day or two. I also don’t always have basil or parsley on hand, and powdered herbs work well, as do most leafy greens you have in the veggie bin. Thank you!
I’m pretty new to cooking. Been trying a bunch of different things in my slow cooker. Things have been OK, but THIS!!! This is amazing! It is the absolute most delicious thing EVER!!!! Omg omg. I put it over a bowl of spaghetti squash. SO much flavor!!
This makes me so happy! Thank you!
I love the fact you have all the nutritional info. even calories!!!
thanks
Rachelle
Can this recipe be doubled? And if so does that effect the cook time?
If I’m using beef and pork instead of turkey, does that change the cook time?
So good!! Super Bowl Sunday must have!
I’ve made these 3 times. My husband said they are the best meatballs I’ve ever made. I double the required meat because I find there’s so much leftover sauce. This time, I didn’t have onions but used 2 eggs and added gluten free cracker crumbs. They turned out great!
Love that you double the meatballs! And great to know about the eggs and cracker crumbs!
I made this recipe for my mom, myself, and my son (who’s five years old). We enjoyed this meal so much. The meatballs were very favorable. The sauce is so good. We need meatballs subs. I will definitely use this recipe again in the near future.
The seasonings are great!
I made and they were delish!! The sauce was so good. I used fresh onions and garlic. Making again soon. Didn’t last long.
Made these and they are so DELISH! Would love to make a huge batch and freeze to have on hand. Is it possible to freeze these before cooking, then add to crockpot?
These are amazing and so moist!! Will be a staple.
These were AMAZING!!! I have been using another recipe for turkey meatballs and I was not a fan of them at all but my daughter can’t eat beef so I was making them for her. She didn’t love them but would eat them just to be able to eat meatballs. I found your recipe yesterday and decided to try it out. We are gluten free and dairy free, so this recipe looked good. I made the meatballs according to your recipe but I did add some Schar gluten free rosemary crackers all crumbled up. Cooked in the crockpot for 6-7 hours on low. I tried one just now expecting it to taste similar to the other recipe. But these were FANTASTIC!!!!! I honestly could not even tell they were turkey because they tasted very similar to the beef ones I make. Everyone in the family gobbled these down, even the picky eaters. This is definitely replacing my old recipe and am going to make this quite often. Thank you for a great recipe!
Awesome, wholesome and delicious!!!!
So easy and flavorful! I make these often.
I cook for lots of different people and everybody loves these meatballs!!
This recipe is delicious!! I used venison (deer) because I already had it. The sauce cooked al afternoon and smelled as scrumptious as it tasted! Thank you for giving us such yummy, healthy recipes. I’ve never had a bad one! Last night was the sausage, apples, potatoes sheet pan and I’ll definitely be making that one again, too!
Oops! I forgot to rate it!! 5 Stars!!
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I’m thrilled to hear that, Jennifer! Thank you so much for trying my recipes!
I’m making this for meatballs sub with salad on side. The foods being cooked as I type this, it smells FANTASTIC!!!
I hope it tasted as good as it smelled! 🙂
Love this recipe. This is my third time making it, super easy and delicious! This time I doubled the recipe because we always want more.
I am making this recipie for the second time in 2 weeks tonight. So moist and flavorful. This will be my new go-to for meatloaf too! The only change I made was to substitute 1/4 c mayo for the milk. That’s it. This yummy, moist dish landed on the table and never made it to leftovers!
So happy you enjoyed it, Kelly! Thank you for commenting!
Hi! I’m making these tomorrow night and doubling the recipe. Can I stack the meatballs in the crockpot?
I haven’t personally tried this but I’ve heard from someone who has and said it worked. Please let me know if you do give it a go!
Not just the best meatballs I’ve ever cooked – but the best meatballs I’ve ever EATEN. This has been added to my list of recipes that I’m proud to serve! Thank you Christina! ❤︎
What a compliment, Eve!! Thank you so much! So happy you loved them!
These are great! Very easy and quick to prepare.
Thank you, Sonya! Happy you liked it!
Just WOW!! I’m new to ground turkey so I must admit I was a little skeptical. I couldn’t believe how delicious these meatballs were! I absolutely loved them! I will definitely be craving these now!
I have made this a few times and it is always a crowd pleaser. We like to make meatball subs. Yummy!
Forgot about this one! This used to be a go-to for busy nights. Thanks for the reminder 😊
Happy to remind you! 😉 Thank you, Vicky!
Easy and delicious
Thank you for the feedback, Mary Ann!
Love these meatballs. So easy and delish!
Thanks so much, Marianne! So glad you enjoy them!
These are a family favourite!!!
I’m so glad to hear that, Renee! Thank you!!