Slow Cooker Meatballs Without Breadcrumbs

Looking for an easy paleo-friendly dinner? These paleo meatballs are EVERYTHING when slowly cooked in a delicious tomato sauce.

Do I have to use ground beef?

Nope! You can totally sub in ground chicken or ground turkey—or even mix in some Italian sausage to the ground beef for a combo.

I see there aren't any breadcrumbs—will I miss those?

Traditional breadcrumbs aren't paleo friendly, so instead of swapping in a gluten-free option, we tried making these meatballs without them at all. The result is great! The meatballs hold their shape in the slow cooker even without the breadcrumbs helping them bind.

What can I do to flavor these in a different way?

So much! We just use fresh parsley, garlic, and salt and pepper to help make these flavorful. You can change up the spices in the meatball mixture with paprika, Italian seasoning, or even a little cayenne. Parsley is how to flavor a classic meatball—you can swap in everything from thyme or oregano.

How long will these stay good?

You can store these meatballs in a resealable container in the fridge up to 4 days.

Yields: 24

Prep Time: 0 hours 15 mins

Total Time: 5 hours 45 mins

For meatballs

1 1/2 lb.

ground beef

1/4 c.

freshly chopped parsley, plus more for garnish

large egg

garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp.

kosher salt

1/2 tsp.

crushed red pepper flakes

For sauce

(28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes

(6-oz.) can tomato paste

1/4

yellow onion, finely chopped

2 tsp.

dried oregano

garlic clove, minced

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

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Make meatballs: In a large bowl, mix together beef, parsley, egg, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes until combined. Form mixture into 24 meatballs and place in slow cooker.
Make sauce: In another large bowl, stir together crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, oregano, and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Pour over meatballs.
Cook, covered, on low until meatballs are cooked through, 5 to 5 1/2 hours.
Garnish with parsley before serving.

Brad Holland

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