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one plain shallow bowl of creamy pale-yellow polenta topped with four soft beef meatballs and thick red marinara sauce, with no spaghetti, mozzarella cap, basil sprigs or garnish
Rachel Kim

Crockpot Italian Meatballs in Marinara

Ricotta keeps these beef meatballs soft enough to cut with the side of a spoon, even after their slow simmer in marinara. They go into the hot sauce raw, so handle them gently and resist stirring until the outside has set. The sauce is a simple pot of crushed tomatoes, onion and garlic, with no jar required. Creamy polenta turns the dish into a full dinner and gives the tomato sauce somewhere useful to land. Cook the polenta close to serving and keep it loose enough to spread under the meatballs; a stiff block on the plate makes a soft, saucy dinner harder to eat.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 40 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 lbs 85% lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta drained if watery
  • 1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan for meatballs
  • 1 tsp dried oregano divided
  • 3/4 tsp fine salt for meatballs
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves finely grated
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes 28 oz
  • 3/4 cup low-sodium beef broth
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt for sauce
  • 1 cup dry medium-grind polenta
  • 4 cups water for polenta
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt for polenta
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan for polenta

Method
 

  1. Gently mix beef, ricotta, breadcrumbs, egg, meatball Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, meatball salt and pepper. Shape 24 equal meatballs and refrigerate while making the sauce.
  2. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook onion for 6 minutes. Stir in garlic for 30 seconds, add tomatoes, broth, remaining oregano and sauce salt and bring to a simmer.
  3. Pour hot marinara into a 5-quart slow cooker set to HIGH. Lower the raw meatballs into the sauce in no more than 2 layers, cover and cook on HIGH for about 3 hours until the largest centers reach 160°F; avoid stirring for the first 2 hours, then turn gently once.
  4. During the final 40 minutes, bring polenta water and polenta salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Whisk in dry polenta gradually, reduce to low and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring frequently, until the grains are tender.
  5. Fold butter and polenta Parmesan into the hot polenta. Check the marinara and meatballs are hot throughout and stir only enough to coat without breaking them.
  6. Divide polenta among 6 shallow bowls and add 4 meatballs and marinara to each. Serve immediately while the polenta is spoonable.