This is more of a method than a recipe. It would work for any of your favorite meatballs recipes, and it’s perfect for when you want a delicious pot of meatballs simmering when you get home from the office or when you don’t want to heat up the house with the oven and stove.

I usually bake my meatballs before simmering them, but in order to avoid turning on the oven, I put the meatballs into the sauce while raw.  The resulting texture was very light and tender. We ate these on meatballs subs and over pasta.

Slow-Cooker Turkey Meatballs

For the sauce:
28 oz can of plum tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 T butter
kosher salt
black pepper
8 leaves of basil

For the meatballs:
1 lb. ground turkey meat
2 eggs
1 T tomato paste
1/2 c bread crumbs
1/3 c grated parmesan
kosher salt
black pepper

Crush the tomatoes with your hands in the slow-cooker. Add the other sauce ingredients (except for the basil) plus 2 c of water to the slow-cooker. Cook on the high setting for 2 hours. Taste and season if necessary.

Combine the meatball ingredients in a mixing bowl, and roll into balls. Gently place the meatballs in the sauce. After they have been cooking for an hour or so, you can carefully stir the pot to redistribute the meatballs. Cook on the high setting for 2 hours.

Add the basil to the sauce a few minutes before serving. Serve with melted mozzarella on a roll or baguette, or over pasta with grated parmesan.