Go Back
three cooked beef meatballs with white cannellini beans, carrot rounds and zucchini half-moons in thick red tomato sauce in a plain bowl, with no pasta or garnish
Melissa Hart

Crockpot Meatball Stew

Browning these beef meatballs in the oven helps them hold their shape when they move into the crockpot. White beans and zucchini turn their tomato sauce into a substantial stew. Keep the zucchini for the last hour. The carrots need the longer cook, but zucchini left for the whole stretch can collapse into green-edged scraps that disappear when you ladle the meatballs into bowls.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb 85% lean ground beef
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
  • 2 garlic cloves finely grated and divided
  • 1 tsp dried oregano divided
  • 3/4 tsp fine salt divided
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 can 28 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 can 15 oz cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 medium carrots cut into 1/4-inch rounds
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 1 medium zucchini cut into 3/4-inch half-moons

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 425°F and brush a rimmed sheet pan with olive oil. Mix beef, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, half the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper gently in a bowl.
  2. Form 18 equal meatballs, place on the pan and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly browned; they will finish cooking in the slow cooker.
  3. Combine tomatoes, broth, beans, carrots, onion, remaining garlic, oregano and salt in a 6-quart slow cooker. Nestle meatballs into the sauce immediately after baking.
  4. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, then fold in zucchini gently without breaking the meatballs.
  5. Cover and cook on low for 1 hour more until carrots and zucchini are tender and meatball centers reach 160°F.
  6. Rest uncovered for 10 minutes, then serve 3 meatballs per portion with one-sixth of the beans, vegetables and thick sauce.