Ingredients
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1/4 c. freshly chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
1 large egg
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste
1/4 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 garlic clove, minced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Step 1Make meatballs: In a large bowl, mix together beef, parsley, egg, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes until combined. Form mixture into 24 meatballs and place in slow cooker.Step 2Make sauce: In another large bowl, stir together crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, oregano, and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Pour over meatballs. Step 3Cook, covered, on low until meatballs are cooked through, 5 to 5 1/2 hours. Step 4Garnish with parsley before serving.
Do I have to use ground beef? Nope! You can totally sub in ground chicken or ground turkey—or even mix in some Italian sausage to the ground beef for a combo. I see there aren’t any breadcrumbs—will I miss those? Traditional breadcrumbs aren’t paleo friendly, so instead of swapping in a gluten-free option, we tried making these meatballs without them at all. The result is great! The meatballs hold their shape in the slow cooker even without the breadcrumbs helping them bind. What can I do to flavor these in a different way? So much! We just use fresh parsley, garlic, and salt and pepper to help make these flavorful. You can change up the spices in the meatball mixture with paprika, Italian seasoning, or even a little cayenne. Parsley is how to flavor a classic meatball—you can swap in everything from thyme or oregano. How long will these stay good? You can store these meatballs in a resealable container in the fridge up to 4 days.
