In this simple Slow Cooker Italian Turkey Meatballs recipe; round turkey mixed with fresh ingredients like grated shallot, minced garlic, Italian flat leaf parsley and Parmesan (to name a few) cooked low and slow in a basil marinara.

slow cooker Italian turkey meatballs

I’ve decided to step up my slow cooker game by making slow cooker Italian turkey meatballs.

Because, as most of you loyal friends know, I’m not the biggest fan of the slow cooker. I didn’t always understand what people love about them or how they could eat 4 out of 7 meals a week via crock pot recipes. Because I’ve made enough stews and things to know that they all taste like a mash up of each other… a blend of blah (in my opinion) and that nothing compares to oven braising.

I do however love making large hunks of pork in my slow cooker. And now apparently meatballs.

slow cooker Italian turkey meatballs

Obviously, slow cooker turkey meatballs have been around for a bit, but I’ve never made them until last week.

I took my go-to beef meatball recipe, turned them into an all turkey recipe. I whipped up a batch of my homemade marinara, froze some and kept 4 cups of it refrigerated, so I could literally throw it together in minutes. So easy! And the smell that emerged? Mouthwatering. Now THAT is exactly how slow cooker recipes should be. I’m starting to get why so many people love slow cooking. And maybe, just maybe the reason I didn’t like slow cookers before is that I a-l-w-a-y-s cooked on high. Which until recently I read, is only good in a pinch. Who knew?

To Make This Slow Cooker Italian Turkey Meatballs You Will Need:

  • lean ground turkey
  • shallot, finely grated
  • garlic, minced
  • italian breadcrumbs
  • parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
  • parsley leaves, plus more for serving
  • italian seasoning
  • red pepper flakes (optional)
  • egg
  • marinara (homemade or store bought)*
  • dried spaghetti or linguine noodles (I used whole wheat pasta)

meatball ingredients in mixing bowl

So grab a big-o-bowl and toss in 2 pounds ground turkey. My grocery store had literally two 1-pound packages left. One was regular ground turkey and the other was ground turkey breast. I was a little nervous but the meatballs turned out delicious and moist. Anyway, along with the ground turkey throw in a large shallot that has been grated, 4 minced cloves of garlic, 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, 1/4 finely chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, a pinch or two of red pepper flakes (optional) and 1 egg that’s been lightly beaten.

Use a fork to mix everything together.

Sauce in slow cooker

Pour about a cup of marinara in the bottom of your slow cooker.

Add meatballs and more sauce

Form the meatballs (mine are slightly larger than golf balls, about 2 to 3 tablespoons of meat mixture– I eyeballed it) and place them into the slow cooker as you go. Pour the remaining sauce over top.

cover and cook

Cover and set to cook on low heat for about 6 to 7 hours.

slow cooked meatballs in sauce

Boom! Magic.

meatballs on plate

Of course you don’t need to eat these with pasta. Roasted spaghetti squash would be fabulous! But my family wouldn’t expect some form of carb under their meatballs so I bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook 3/4 of a pound of linguine noodles (spaghetti works too) by following the package directions until al dente.

With a few minutes left on the pasta, I removed the meatballs to a platter, drained the pasta and immediately tossed it in the slow cooker with the sauce.

slow cooker Italian turkey meatballs

All that’s left to do is transfer the saucy pasta to a platter, top with the slow cooker Italian turkey meatballs and sprinkle with freshly crumbled Parmesan and chopped fresh parsley, then serve.

slow cooker Italian turkey meatballs

The smell of these cooking throughout the day is phenomenal and pure torture at the same time. I wanted to open my slow cooker and just breath… I could hardly wait until dinnertime.

Not sure if you’d like slow cooker Italian turkey meatballs?

My husband and kids couldn’t tell the difference and were surprised they were turkey. Slow cooked meatballs in homemade sauce is the way to go.

slow cooker Italian turkey meatballs

Enjoy! And if you give this Slow Cooker Italian Turkey Meatballs recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

slow cooker Italian turkey meatballs

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Yield: 6 servings

Slow Cooker Italian Turkey Meatballs

Ground turkey mixed with fresh ingredients like grated shallot, minced garlic, Italian flat leaf parsley and Parmesan (to name a few) cooked low and slow in a basil marinara.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground turkey
  • 1 large shallot, finely grated
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
  • 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
  • 1/4 cup minced flat leaf parsley leaves, plus more for serving
  • 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
  • 2 pinches red pepper flakes, optional
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 4 cups basil marinara, or use store-bought
  • 3/4 pound spaghetti noodles, or linguine

Instructions 

  • In a large bowl combine ground turkey, shallot, garlic, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes (if using) and egg. Use a fork to mix until combined.
  • Pour 1 cup of the marinara in the bottom of your slow cooker.
  • Form each meatball (I made mine slightly larger than the size of golf balls, about 2-3 tablespoons which yield 18 meatballs) and add directly to the slower cooker as you go. Pour remaining sauce over top, cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours. Once the time is up, switch to the warm setting and bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
  • Add in the linguine and cook, following package directions, until al dente or preferred doneness. Transfer meatballs (only) to a plate, then add cooked pasta to the slow cooker and toss to combine. Transfer pasta to a large platter and add the meatballs.
  • Serve pasta and meatballs with more grated Parmesan cheese and minced parsley over top.
  • *I used the recipe in my cookbook for homemade marinara. I upped the 8 ounce can of tomato sauce called for in the recipe to a 15 ounce can and added in a handful of sliced fresh basil. But using a good quality jar of store bought sauce is perfectly okay!
  • This is great to make ahead! I've prepped everything the evening before and refrigerated overnight so all I have to do is put the crock pot into it's base and turn it on.
Serving: 1g, Calories: 538kcal, Carbohydrates: 67g, Protein: 51g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 116mg, Sodium: 1302mg, Potassium: 1217mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 1098IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 154mg, Iron: 5mg