Crockpot turkey meatballs in marinara
Tender Italian turkey meatballs that cook right in marinara in the slow cooker, ready to spoon over spaghetti.
- 270 min total
- 35 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 6
- About $3.10 a serving
- 710 calories
- Good the next day
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 1 jar marinara sauce, 24 oz
- 1 can crushed tomatoes, 28 oz
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2 lb ground turkey
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb spaghetti
From your pantry
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp salt, divided
- ½ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 710 calories, 48 g protein, 83 g carbs and 20 g fat, and costs about $3.10 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No crushed tomatoes? Diced tomatoes work.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No ground turkey? Ground chicken works.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
- No spaghetti? Fettuccine works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the marinara and crushed tomatoes together in the slow cooker.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
the panko and milk in a large bowl and let it soak 5 minutes.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Timer: 5 min
Add the turkey, eggs, parmesan, garlic, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper and mix gently with your hands until just combined.
Roll it into 1½-inch balls, about 30, and set them gently into the sauce. Wash your hands.
Dolly’s tip: Wet your hands every few meatballs and the mixture won’t stick.Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours, until the meatballs read 165°F in the middle.
Timer: 240 min
Dolly’s tip: Don’t stir for the first 2 hours. The meatballs are fragile until they set.Food safety: Ground turkey and ground chicken are done at 165°F, with no pink left anywhere in the pan.
About 20 minutes before they’re done, bring a large pot of water with the remaining salt and cook the spaghetti as the package says. .
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
High heatTimer: 10 min
Serve the meatballs and sauce over the spaghetti with more parmesan.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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