Cheesy Slow Cooker Meatball Pasta cooks low and slow until tender: saucy, savory, and mostly hands-off for busy weeknights.
Set-and-Forget Cheesy Meatball Pasta
A mostly hands-off slow cooker meal that uses pantry staples to turn simple ground beef and canned tomatoes into tender meatballs and a saucy, family-friendly pasta night.
This recipe exists for the weeknights when you want a comforting, cozy dinner with almost no babysitting. Ground beef, dried breadcrumbs, an egg and a handful of dried spices form sturdy, budget-friendly meatballs that tuck into a tomato-forward sauce made from crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and a splash of beef broth. A little brown sugar rounds the acidity and gives the sauce a warm, homey depth—no store-bought shortcuts required.
You can brown the meatballs briefly in a skillet for extra caramelized flavor, but it’s optional: the slow cooker will turn raw meatballs melt-in-your-mouth tender if you nestle them into the sauce and let time do the work. Whisking the canned tomatoes, paste, broth and sugar right in the cooker keeps cleanup easy and lets flavors marry gently over a few hours while you handle homework, work calls, or a quick walk.
To serve, cook your favorite pasta separately and toss it with the sauce and meatballs so it keeps its bite. A generous scattering of shredded cheese—mozzarella, provolone, or a blend—melts into pockets of creaminess and makes the dish feel a little indulgent without extra fuss. Make-ahead wins: form meatballs a day or two in advance (or freeze them), and reheat leftovers gently—the flavors deepen and it warms up beautifully for lunches or a second dinner.
Ingredients
How to Make Cheesy Slow Cooker Meatball Pasta
- In a large bowl combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, black pepper and half the salt; mix gently until just combined and form into 16 even meatballs (about 1 1/4 inch each).
- If you like extra flavor, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high and brown the meatballs 1–2 minutes per side; this is optional—uncooked meatballs will cook in the slow cooker.
- In the slow cooker whisk together crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, brown sugar and the remaining salt until smooth.
- Nestle the meatballs into the sauce in a single layer as much as will fit, pushing gently to submerge them in the sauce.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours (or HIGH for 1.5–2 hours) until meatballs are cooked through and sauce is bubbling.
- Stir the sauce, then add the dried pasta and an additional 1/2 cup water or broth if the sauce looks very thick (pasta needs liquid to cook); press the pasta into the sauce so it's mostly submerged.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 18–25 minutes, stirring every 8–10 minutes, until pasta is al dente and liquid has been mostly absorbed—timing varies by pasta shape.
- Turn the slow cooker to warm or low, stir in the shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan until melted and evenly distributed; adjust seasoning to taste (add a pinch of salt or red pepper flakes if desired).
- Let the pasta rest 5 minutes to thicken, then serve hot with extra Parmesan if you like.
Recipe Card
Cheesy Slow Cooker Meatball Pasta
Cheesy Slow Cooker Meatball Pasta cooks low and slow until tender: saucy, savory, and mostly hands-off for busy weeknights.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 3 hr 20 min
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, black pepper and half the salt; mix gently until just combined and form into 16 even meatballs (about 1 1/4 inch each).
- If you like extra flavor, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high and brown the meatballs 1–2 minutes per side; this is optional—uncooked meatballs will cook in the slow cooker.
- In the slow cooker whisk together crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, brown sugar and the remaining salt until smooth.
- Nestle the meatballs into the sauce in a single layer as much as will fit, pushing gently to submerge them in the sauce.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours (or HIGH for 1.5–2 hours) until meatballs are cooked through and sauce is bubbling.
- Stir the sauce, then add the dried pasta and an additional 1/2 cup water or broth if the sauce looks very thick (pasta needs liquid to cook); press the pasta into the sauce so it's mostly submerged.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 18–25 minutes, stirring every 8–10 minutes, until pasta is al dente and liquid has been mostly absorbed—timing varies by pasta shape.
- Turn the slow cooker to warm or low, stir in the shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan until melted and evenly distributed; adjust seasoning to taste (add a pinch of salt or red pepper flakes if desired).
- Let the pasta rest 5 minutes to thicken, then serve hot with extra Parmesan if you like.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 97
- Saturated Fat
- 15
- Sodium
- 1400
- Fiber
- 7
- Unsaturated Fat
- 21
- Protein
- 46
- Fat
- 37
- Cholesterol
- 154
- Trans Fat
- 0.5
- Calories
- 930
- Sugar
- 13