Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Easy set it and forget it one pot slow cooker spaghetti and meatballs will be your go-to healthy spaghetti recipe! Everything – even the noodles! – are cooked in the crockpot and the flavor is outstanding.
Enjoyed this recipe? Try my Spaghetti Carbonara, Slow Cooker Creamy Beef Stroganoff, and Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta next!
Gahhhhh I am so excited to share this recipe with you. I mean, I feel like I’m pretty excited to share all of my recipes with you. In general I am kind of obsessed with all of them and I get giddy just knowing you are out there making and enjoying the same delicious food I make for my family.
But this dish I am particularly excited about because it’s a spaghetti recipe I actually like. Scratch that, spaghetti recipe that I love. And I normally do not like spaghetti. When people offered to bring dinners over right after my twins were born I would say “Yes please! Anything but spaghetti.”
I’m just a picky gal I guess when it comes to spaghetti recipes and I don’t like any spaghetti sauce straight from the jar unless you amp it up with some extra seasonings like I do in this slow cooker spaghetti recipe. I don’t like chunks of ground beef floating around in the sauce, if there’s going to be ground beef involved, it better be in the form of a meatball. Extra large meatballs with tons of flavor.
All of that is happening in this easy and healthy spaghetti dish.
And let’s not gloss over the fact that I said this is a SLOW COOKER spaghetti. Truly set it and forget it, even the noodles are cooked right in the crockpot. The key is to pop them into sauce about 15-20 minutes before you’re ready to eat – with your slow cooker set to HIGH – and they’ll be perfetly tender.
Be sure to add lots of grated parmesan cheese on top becuase, well, it’s grated parmesan cheese and that stuff makes everything taste like it came straight from heaven, am I right??
What people are saying about this Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs
“This was amazing and even better the next day!” – Shelley
“Wow this is amazing and so easy!” – Joyce
Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spaghetti noodles, broken in half
- grated parmesan cheese
- fresh basil or thyme for garnish , (optional)
Meatballs
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Sauce
- 1 24 ounce jar marinara sauce
- ⅓ cup packed fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix with your hands until mixture is blended. Form mixture into 12 balls. Set aside.
- In a greased slow cooker, combine marinara sauce, basil, garlic, and Italian seasoning and stir. Arrange meatballs on top of sauce. Cover and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
- Uncover and use a fork or tongs to transfer meatballs to a plate. Add noodles to slow cooker making sure the noodles are covered by the sauce. Return meatballs to slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on high 15-25 minutes until noodles are softened. Give it a stir, then top with fresh basil or thyme and grated parmesan cheese. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was amazing, I did 3/4 of the recipe and cooked the pasta separately. I followed the recipe as written, apart from the pasta in the slow cooker, it was truly gorgeous, will make regularly, the meatballs are out of this world and the sauce was very morish. Thank you for sharing it
Fantastic meatballs! I did adjust a couple things, for example I used my favorite pre-made sauce, (Alessi) and I didn’t cook the pasta together with the meatballs. But the star of the recipe, the meatballs, were outstanding. Make sure you use high quality Italian spices! These took a 1/10 of the time of my former meatball go to recipe and tasted even better. They remind me of the meatballs served in my favorite Italian restaurant when I was growing up in NY. I don’t make that comparison lightly. Next time I’m going to quadruple the servings and freeze some, they’re too good not to have on hand at all times.
It was re good but I add a few of my preference and was really del but the timE i got finished i would give it a 41/2 stars💕
Delicious. A standard go to meal in our house, simple to make with loaded flavour.
I cook my spaghetti separately but that’s just my personal preference.
About to make it again after I’ve left my feedback.
Thanks for your awesome feedback, Julia!
The meatballs taste Really good. the sauce was not enoUgh to cook the pasta. Next time i will Boil The Pasta. However the sauce and meatballs are delicious.
Can i make meatballs oht of ground turkey ?
I haven’t tested that with this recipe but I think it could work!
THis recipe was not good. I followed it almost exactly, except I added more sauce because i was sure it wouldn’t be enough. (i was right.) the pasta came out gummy, a very unappealing texture. we couldn’t finish it. very bummed, because i love the idea, but this recipe just doesn’t work.
Thanks for your feedback 🙂
travelinginsoutheastasia, ezeznet,
diirga
Definitely needed another jar of sauce- the first jar didn’t even cover half of the spaghetti. It also is taking a lot longer than 15-25 minutes to cook the noodles. The meatballs were good but next time I would just make the noodles on the stove and save the time.
Thanks for your input, Jennifer!
This is a great basic meal that anyone can phtbtogether.