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    Home » Healthy Sandwiches and Wraps » Slow Cooker Meatball Subs

    Slow Cooker Meatball Subs

    Published: Sep 8, 2014 · Modified: Oct 30, 2021 by Tammy Overhoff

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Slow Cooker Meatball Subs

    I find it funny the things that excite me at almost 40 years old. A new paint job on the house, a new set of windows installed, gutters fixed, clutter cleaned up and organized, and so on. Basically, anything that makes my home clean and cared for causes me to get giddy like a teenager. I know I am not the only one. And if I am don’t tell me.

    Something else that makes me happy is when I find a recipe my entire family loves, is incredibly easy to make, AND can cook all day in the slow cooker. Yep those three things will send me floating on cloud 9.

    This new slow cooker meatball sub recipe is all those things and more. It is delicious, has minimum prep, and can easily be made ahead of time. Seriously, you guys will love this recipe.

    In the past, I made meatball subs but baking the meatballs in the oven then simmering them in a sauce. Then I would place the meatballs in a roll, sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top, and broil until melted. Now this did not take a lot of time and was quite easy to do. But this slow cooker recipe is way easier and results in a super moist and tender meatball.

    For this slow cooker recipe you don’t have to cook the meatballs ahead of time. At first, I was going to, but decided to make it first without that step. I wanted simple. I was a little nervous but I went for it anyway. I roll each meatball and place in the bottom of the slow cooker.

    I used a bread and water “paste” when making these meatballs. I learned this trick from the America’s Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Cookbook. In the paste, I mixed in the seasonings and bread crumbs so I did not have to mix the meatballs too much. It will look a little wet but don’t worry this paste will create a very moist meatball.

    Once the meatballs were in, I poured a jar of pasta sauce over the top. I used a 25.5-ounce jar of Wegmans Organic Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce. It comes to about 2 ½ cups of sauce. You can use any sauce you like.

    slowcookermbsubs2

    Then I set the slow cooker to low and let it do it’s magic for 7 hours on low. If you are at work all day these should be fine on warm for an hour or so until you get home.

    slowcookermbsubs3

    After the meatballs are done, I placed 3 on a bun, and sprinkled some mozzarella cheese on top. The cheese melted on its own so no need to place in broiler. So easy! It was the perfect weeknight recipe.

    ziplistmbsubs

    My kids LOVED these meatball subs. Loved them!

    Slow Cooker Meatball Subs

    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 7 hours
    Total Time: 7 hours 20 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 376kcal
    Author: Organize Yourself Skinny

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb 95% lean ground beef I used Wegmans organic grass-fed beef. You can also use ground turkey
    • 1 slice whole wheat bread
    • 3 tablespoons 1% milk
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 tablespoon Worchestire sauce
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
    • 1/4 cup unseasoned italian bread crumbs
    • 1/4 cup grated romano cheese
    • 1 25.5 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce (or 2 1/2 cups homemade)
    • 6 whole wheat hotdog buns
    • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

    Instructions

    • In a medium bowl combine the bread and milk together until combined and it forms a "paste".
    • Add in egg, worchestire sauce, basil, oregano, garlic, granulated onion powder, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and romano cheese. Mix until completely combined.
    • Mix in the ground beef until the paste mixture is evenly distributed.
    • Roll into 18 meatballs and place on the bottom of the slow cooker.
    • Pour sauce of top.
    • Cook for 7 hours on low in slow cooker.
    • Place 3 meatballs in a roll, sprinkle1 1/2 tablespoons cheese on top, and enjoy.

    Notes

    **You can reduce the fat, calories, and points by using ground turkey instead of beef. Also, make this low carb by leaving out the bun.
    Make ahead instructions
    This can be made ahead of time by prepping meatballs, flash freezing, then storing in a bag in the freezer. Place meatballs in the slow cooker frozen and continue with recipe. You might need to add some extra time if meatballs are added frozen. You can also make the recipe completely ahead of time and freeze in portions. Warm up on stove or microwave.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 376kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 12g | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g

     

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    Healthy Sandwiches and Wraps, Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes, Recipes

    About Tammy Overhoff

    Hi, I’m Tammy Overhoff, a busy mom, wife, and entrepreneur. I am the owner, author, and recipe developer here at Organize Yourself Skinny. Since 2011 Organize Yourself Skinny has become a trusted resource for clean eating recipes to meal prep, reviews, and lifestyle hacks to help you fit healthy habits and routines into your busy schedule. I’m the author of the Organize Yourself Skinny eBook & 30-day Workbook Bundle.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shelli says

      July 09, 2020 at 1:29 pm

      This has become a regular on my meal plan! From the time I leave in the morning until I’m home at night, it’s almost 10 hours, so I use my crockpot timer a LOT. The first time I made them (I use turkey), they tasted a little burnt. So, when I made them the next time, I made the meatballs the night before and froze them so they were frozen when I put them in the crockpot in the morning. It solved the problem and they were great! They’re even approved by my picky 4-year-old!

      Reply
    2. Kina says

      February 22, 2016 at 4:40 am

      I totally planned on doing these in the crockpot but waited too late in the day to get started so I did them in the skillet. The whole family enjoyed them! Thanks for a great recipe.

      Reply
    3. Laura says

      November 14, 2015 at 5:42 pm

      Any sense what happens if you double this? Is it ok if the meatballs don’t all lie on crockpot bottom?

      Great recipe!

      Reply
    4. Cyndi says

      February 01, 2015 at 7:18 pm

      Anyone want to wager a guess if this will work with a LARGE crock pot FULL to the brim with meatballs? I’m cooking for a parent event and want to plug this in and forget about it during school.

      Reply
    5. Susan says

      October 17, 2014 at 10:04 am

      5 stars
      Oh my goodness! I made these meatballs with ground turkey (it’s what I had on hand), and they were so good and moist. Everyone devoured them and had no idea they were eating turkey meatballs. Thanks for another hit recipe for my family!

      Reply
    6. Di says

      September 22, 2014 at 7:08 am

      How many points for just the 3 meatballs, no bread? Thank you! Love your recipes!!

      Reply
    7. Lori says

      September 16, 2014 at 5:00 pm

      Can’t wait to try this, but I am confused about the bread crumbs. It says unseasoned Italian bread crumbs…are you supposed to use the plain unseasoned ones or the Italian seasoned ones?

      Reply
      • Tammy Kresge says

        September 17, 2014 at 10:51 am

        I use plain but you can use either.

        Reply
    8. Sami says

      September 15, 2014 at 11:57 pm

      Love you blog all in all 🙂 and would love to try these too. Am however gluten intolerant. What do you suggests replacing the bread and crumbs with?

      Reply
    9. Kristen says

      September 14, 2014 at 10:54 pm

      5 stars
      I never make comments on any blogs I use. However, these meatballs were some of the best meatballs I have ever had. My almost 1 year old has not been eating meat for me lately and he LOVED them! I didn’t use them for a sub – but for pasta with meatballs and sauce. I used them for after the Buffalo Bills game today!! It was the perfect recipe! Thank you so very much!!!

      Reply
      • Tammy Kresge says

        September 15, 2014 at 1:19 pm

        So glad you like them. I agree they are soooo tasty! Love that you are from Buffalo. Me too! GO BILLS!

        Reply

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    Hi, I’m Tammy Overhoff, a busy mom, wife, and entrepreneur. I am the owner, author, and recipe developer here at Organize Yourself Skinny. Since 2011 Organize Yourself Skinny has become a trusted resource for clean eating meal prep recipes, reviews, and lifestyle hacks to help you fit healthy habits and routines into your busy schedule. I’m the author of the Organize Yourself Skinny 30-Day Reset & Flourish eBook Bundle!

    More about me →

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