Crockpot Turkey Meatballs

5 from 4 votes

Make meatballs the easy way with this crockpot turkey meatballs recipe! Not only is this recipe low-hassle, but it’s also gluten-free and lower in calories.

Prep Time20

Cook Time3 7

Total Time3 27

Course: Crockpot, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American, Italian

Diet: Low Calorie

Servings: servings

Author: Megan Olson

Equipment

Crockpot

Ingredients

1 lb Lean Ground Turkey or lean protein of choice
12 ounces Turkey Sausage or pork sausage
24 ounces Marinara Sauce or low sugar pasta sauce of choice
2 large Eggs
⅓ cup Unsweetened Almond Milk or milk of choice
¾ cup Rolled Oats or gluten free rolled oats
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
½ tablespoon Red Pepper Flakes
2 teaspoons Basil
1 teaspoon Garlic minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
¼ cup Parmesan grated plus more for serving

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
In a blender, process the gluten free rolled oats until it becomes a flour like consistency. Usually 3-4 pulses does the trick!
Add the eggs and milk to a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine then add the minced garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning and parmesan. Stir to combine.
Add the ground turkey or sausage to the mixing bowl with the blended oats. Use your fingers to break up the meat and combine with the wet ingredients an oats.
Once combined, use a medium ice cream scoop to scoop the meat mixture into balls that are 1 to 1 1/2 inches in size. Roll the ball between your hands then set on the baking sheet. Repeat until all the meat mixture is finished. I had 35 meatballs when I was done.
Bake at 425 F 7 minutes then remove from the oven and set aside.
Add 1/2 the marinara sauce (or pasta sauce of choice) to a slow cooker then top with 1/2 the meatballs. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top and layer the remaining 1/2 of the meatballs over the top.
Cook on high 2-3 hours or low 4-6 hours. Serve over zucchini noodles, chickpea pasta or pasta of choice.

Video

Notes

You must prebake the meatballs to ensure they remain balls as they cook. If you don’t bake them first they will just fall apart and make a meat sauce.
Add the marinara sauce and meatballs in layers so the flavor of the meat disperses evenly throughout the sauce.
The meatballs will turn tough and dense if you continue mixing the meat once the egg and spices are incorporated. Once everything is mixed, stop working the meat so your meatballs are tender and juicy.

Nutrition