Italian Sausage Meatballs | Easy Slow Cooker Meatballs | Gluten Free

Italian Sausage Meatballs are a really easy to make (and tasty!) slow cooker recipe. These meatballs are homemade and made gluten-free, but you can easily swap out the GF breadcrumbs for regular, and you can even use pre-made meatballs to cut the prep time to practically zero.

Italian sausage meatballs are simmered in spaghetti sauce with onion, red bell peppers, and green bell peppers, then topped with Parmesan cheese and fresh thyme. Eat over pasta or a toasted roll. In this case I've used Thrive's brown rice penne. I LOVE this meal over top of a roll though.

Jump to Recipe

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Looking for more slow cooker recipes?

• White Chicken Chili - Easy Slow Cooker Recipe
• French Dip Sandwich - Easy Slow Cooker Method - Gluten Free
• Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Homemade Gravy - A Winter Classic, Naturally Gluten and Dairy Free
• Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin - Easy Brown Sugar Balsamic Glaze

What Makes Italian Sausage Meatballs so Good?

The ingredients in this recipe are simple. The magic comes from the homemade meatballs simmering for hours in the marinara sauce along with bell peppers and onions. All the flavors and broths of the ingredients are brought out and merge into a delicious sauce.

• Ground Sweet Italian Sausage. You can also use mild or hot Italian sausage, or a combination depending on your preferences.
• Bell peppers of assorted colors (red & green recommended).
• Yellow onions
• Your favorite marinara sauce, family-size. I used Prego's Traditional.
• Eggs
• Parmesan cheese

• Milk
• Gluten-free plain breadcrumbs, or regular breadcrumbs. I used 4C's GF breadcrumbs.
• Garlic, optional
• Fresh thyme leaves, or basil, optional
• Salt
• Gluten-free pasta or bread for serving, or regular pasta/bread. I used Thrive Market's GF brown rice penne.

How to Make Italian Sausage Meatballs:

For the meatballs:

• Prep: Set out a large piece of parchment paper or a tray for the raw meatballs to rest on as you roll them.

• Add the ground sausage to a large mixing bowl. Add in the eggs, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, milk, garlic, and salt. Using your hands, work the ingredients together until well incorporated. The mixture should form a ball.

• Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon measurement, scoop 1-2 tbsps of the mixture per meatball and roll into a ball. Place onto prepared parchment paper. Repeat until all of the mixture has been used up. Tip: You can use a cookie scoop to make rolling the meatballs go super quick.

To the slow cooker:

• Add some of the marinara sauce to the bottom of the slow cooker and spread it around with a spoon.

• Add the sliced onions and peppers to the slow cooker.

• Place the meatballs on top of the peppers and onions, starting from the outer edge of the cooker and working in a circle to the middle.

• Top the meatballs with additional marinara sauce.
• Cook on Low 6 to 8 hours, or High for 4 hours.

• Give the meatballs a good stir before serving over pasta or bread. Top with additional Parmesan cheese to taste. Optional: Sprinkle fresh chopped thyme or basil over top the meatballs.

• Enjoy!

Bonus points: I plated these up so fancy that guests would have never known they just came from out of a slow cooker.

Equipment

You will need a slow cooker (crockpot) to make Italian Sausage Meatballs. I also recommend using a cookie scoop to make rolling the meatballs a breeze.

Notes on Italian Sausage Meatballs:

• Like it spicy? Swap the sweet Italian sausage for mild or hot Italian sausage.
• Make your own marinara sauce? Use that instead of store-bought.
• Want to use frozen meatballs? Swap that for homemade.
• Use garden herbs to top these meatballs such as basil, thyme, oregano, marjoram, or rosemary.
• You can also make your own marinara sauce right in the slow cooker along with the meatballs by using a 28 oz. can of whole or crushed tomatoes, a little olive oil, oregano and/or basil, and salt.

Tried these Italian Sausage Meatballs? Give this recipe a 5-star rating!