Whipping up a big batch of meatballs is an easy way to feed a crowd delicious comfort food as a main dish for family dinners or an appetizer for game day, potlucks, and parties!
They are versatile, so you can use anything from ground beef, pork, chicken, and turkey to make your meatballs, and many of them are dump-and-set slow cooker recipes using frozen meatballs. If you’ve got some extra prep time, you’ll find some fantastic from-scratch recipes too.
I’ve gathered my collection of the most popular meatball recipes on my blog for you to choose from. Slow cooked, oven baked, simmered in tomato sauce or smothered in a sweet and sour sauce, there’s something for everyone!
Use them for meatball subs, toothpick appetizers, served over rice, in soups, baked in casseroles, and of course, spaghetti and meatballs. And whatever you have left you can freeze for later!
Must-Try Meatball Recipe Collection
Helpful Tools
- Slow Cooker – This one is a Hamilton Beach that automatically switches itself to warm when it’s done cooking!
- Skillet
- Baking Dish/Baking Tray
Using Frozen Meatballs
Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs
These sweet and tangy meatballs can be made in the crockpot or baked in under an hour in the oven.
Easy Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs
Skip the takeout and make these at home. Serve them over rice to soak up all the sauce.
Crockpot Grape Jelly Meatball Recipe
A favorite at parties, these 3-ingredient meatballs are always the first appetizers to go.
Crockpot Honey Garlic Meatballs
If you love the flavor combination of honey garlic, you’re going to love these!
3-Ingredient Slow Cooker Pineapple Teriyaki Meatballs
So maybe pineapple doesn’t belong in pizza but it sure does belong in teriyaki meatballs!
Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Meatballs
You’ll love the kick these sweet and spicy meatballs have. They’re super easy to make!
Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
These would be great over your favorite pasta or in a bun like a chicken parm sub!
Crockpot Coca-Cola Meatballs
Crockpot Coca-Cola meatballs are a deliciously easy appetizer or dinner. Made with just a few ingredients, they’re sweet, tangy, and always a hit!
Italian Chicken Meatball Subs
Serve with a side salad and you’ve got a fun casual dinner or easy lunch idea!
Slow Cooker Meatballs Stroganoff
A twist on a classic dish, you’ll love how easy this creamy, savory dish comes together in the crockpot.
Meatballs from Scratch
Easy Oven Baked Meatballs
Juicy, and perfectly seasoned, these homemade meatballs are ready in just 35 minutes!
Easy Slow Cooker Firecracker Chicken Meatballs
If you’ve ever had crispy firecracker chicken, you’re going to love this lighter slow cooker version with meatballs.
Slow Cooker Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
Can be made with ground turkey or beef and stuffed with melty cheese. Make it a low carb meal with zucchini noodles.
FAQs
You certainly can. However, if you prefer you sear them first to get a nice crust on the outside, you can do that in a skillet before tossing them in the crockpot.
Use a meat thermometer to check for an internal temperature of 160 degrees F for ground beef and 165 degrees F for ground chicken or turkey. Your meatballs will also no longer be pink in the middle.
Sometimes they do, so you’ll need to check the package to make sure. Either way, they’re starting from frozen and don’t need to be thawed first, so they won’t overcook.
That’s up to you and how much time you’ve got.
If you’re serving it as part of a main dish, there are so many possible side dishes. I always like to have a starch underneath to soak up all the yummy sauce. For tomato-based sauce, you could go with either pasta or rice, same goes for cream sauce. If they’re smothered in a sweet and tangy sauce, I’ll usually go for rice and a side of steamed veggies.
Nothing. Crock Pot (usually spelled Crockpot) is a brand of slow cooker. Sort of the way people call tissues Kleenex!
Did You Make This?
If you made this recipe, I’d love to know how it went in the comments section below.
You can also tag me on Instagram – @melissa_ppplates or share a pic in the Persnickety Plates Community Facebook group. I love seeing what you’ve tried!
