Meet your new weeknight dinner hero: sluggish cooker BBQ meatballs. These are tender, juicy, stuffed with taste, and cooked low and sluggish in a tangy BBQ sauce with candy onions and a splash of zesty Italian dressing. They’re good for household dinners, meal prepping, sport day appetizers, or any time you want a crowd-pleasing dish that requires minimal effort.
I initially revealed this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photographs and some extra success ideas.
Identical to my recipe for traditional sluggish cooker turkey meatballs, this recipe has all the important thing elements of a super do-it-yourself dinner: Straightforward. Taste-packed. Make-ahead pleasant. That is the sort of consolation meals you’ll crave all yr spherical!
Tons to Love About These BBQ Meatballs:
- Lean and protein-packed
- Straightforward to prep, then let the sluggish cooker work its magic
- Make-ahead and freezer-friendly
- Tangy, smoky, candy, or spicy—use your favourite BBQ sauce for a taste you’re keen on
- Works as a hearty predominant dish, or a celebration appetizer
These tangy-sweet sluggish cooker BBQ meatballs are so versatile—get pleasure from them in a hearty sub roll as BBQ meatball sandwiches, on their very own alongside a salad or coleslaw, on a mattress of mashed potatoes, or with cornbread.
Inform Me About These BBQ Meatballs
- Taste: The mix of smoked paprika, candy onion, and BBQ sauce makes each chunk irresistibly savory with simply the correct trace of spice and sweetness.
- Texture: By utilizing lean floor turkey, we’re in a position to maintain the meatballs mild, moist, tender, and nonetheless stuffed with taste. In comparison with many recipes, the meatball combination is mild on the breadcrumbs. An excessive amount of can take away from the meatball’s texture, so add simply sufficient to assist bind.
- Ease: Brown the meatballs on the range to lock in taste, after which let the sluggish cooker do the remainder. Straightforward-peasy!
Easy Components
For the meatballs, I at all times use floor turkey that’s about 93% lean, 7% fats. You possibly can use floor beef or hen as a substitute, in case you want. You additionally want an egg to bind the elements collectively. Breadcrumbs are one other binding agent, and you should utilize panko, common, complete wheat, Italian seasoned (you possibly can make your personal with do-it-yourself croutons), and even gluten free.
Combine every little thing collectively, after which roll the combination into balls.
Sear the Meatballs First
We will skip pan-searing when making hen meatballs that bake within the oven, however this step is critical for right now’s recipe. Gently searing the turkey meatballs in a skillet on the range browns the exteriors and seals in all of the juicy moisture. (Taste, taste, taste!) When you skip this step, the meatballs will simply crumble aside within the crockpot.
This step solely takes about 10–quarter-hour complete, after which it’s the sluggish cooker’s flip to take over.
Select Your Favourite BBQ Sauce
Whereas these flavorful turkey meatballs are the star of the present, the BBQ sauce performs an necessary supporting position. There are such a lot of styles of BBQ sauce on the market, starting from smoky to candy to tangy to spicy… some with a vinegar base and others with mustard… use your most popular model!
You’ll additionally add Italian dressing for additional taste. Once more, you should utilize your favourite store-bought Italian salad dressing right here, or do that do-it-yourself Italian dressing.
Layer the onions, half of the BBQ sauce, and half of the Italian dressing within the backside of your sluggish cooker. Place the seared turkey meatballs on high, then pour the remaining sauce and dressing over the meatballs. And your work right here is finished! Pop that lid on and let the sluggish cooker do its factor.
You possibly can cook dinner on low for about 5 hours, or velocity issues up by cooking on excessive for about 3 hours.
A Useful Make-Forward Dinner Recipe
There are a lot of methods to get a bounce on dinner with this turkey meatballs recipe. Having firm over tomorrow? Brown the meatballs as instructed and maintain them within the fridge till the next day, then switch them to the sluggish cooker. Or freeze now to get pleasure from throughout the colder months. Or cook dinner right now, then reheat tomorrow simply earlier than dinnertime. See recipe Notice under.
Description
Juicy, flavorful, and really easy—these sluggish cooker BBQ meatballs simmer in a tangy-sweet sauce made with BBQ sauce, onions, and a splash of Italian dressing. Excellent for weeknight dinners, meal prep, or sport day appetizers!
- 1 massive egg
- 2 kilos (907g) 93% lean floor turkey*
- 2/3 cup (40g) panko breadcrumbs
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tablespoon)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon freshly floor black pepper
- 1 medium candy onion, sliced
- 1 and three/4 cups (420g) BBQ sauce*
- 1/2 cup (120g) store-bought or do-it-yourself Italian dressing
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- Beat the egg in a big mixing bowl. Add the bottom turkey, panko bread crumbs, garlic, oregano, salt, paprika, and pepper. Combine every little thing up simply so the elements are mixed—keep away from over-mixing, which may make the meatballs robust.
- Roll the combination into balls, about 1.5 heaping Tablespoons or 40g every. Place all rolled meatballs on a big baking sheet.
- Place the onion slices within the backside of the sluggish cooker, then high with half of the BBQ sauce and half of the Italian dressing (the remainder will go on high).
- Coat a big skillet with the olive oil and produce to medium-high warmth. Frivolously brown the meatballs in batches for about 1 minute on either side. (Don’t skip this step! Locks within the taste and helps set the form so the meatballs don’t disintegrate.) Layer the meatballs into the sluggish cooker as you’re browning every batch. As soon as all browned meatballs have been added to the sluggish cooker, pour the remaining BBQ sauce and Italian dressing on high.
- Cowl and cook dinner on low for five hours or on excessive for 3 hours. Serve heat with sauce and onions.
- Retailer leftovers lined tightly within the fridge for as much as 1 week.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: Put together meatballs via the browning step; cowl and refrigerate for as much as 1 day or freeze as much as 2 months. Add to sluggish cooker and cook dinner as directed. OR you’ll be able to totally put together 1 day upfront, refrigerate, then cook dinner within the sluggish cooker on low for 45 minutes or till warmed. Freeze cooked meatballs in sauce for as much as 2 months. Defrost earlier than reheating as desired.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Glass Mixing Bowl | Baking Sheet | Gradual Cooker (4 quarts or bigger) | Massive Skillet
- Meat: You should utilize any floor meat you like; I at all times use turkey.
- Panko: Panko is bought in most main grocery shops. I want panko breadcrumbs for texture, however you should utilize common, complete wheat, or seasoned breadcrumbs as a substitute. To make your personal breadcrumbs for this specific recipe, you’ll be able to trim the crusts from 2 slices of stale bread. Lower bread into items and pulse in a meals processor till coarse crumbs type. Unfold breadcrumbs on a baking sheet and bake at 250°F till dry, about 12–14 minutes.
- BBQ Sauce & Italian Dressing: Use your favourite BBQ sauce and Italian dressing, or attempt my do-it-yourself Italian dressing. These make up the sauce, so ensure you like their taste.
- No Gradual Cooker? No Drawback! Add the formed meatballs to a big skillet coated with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and sauté till browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Place on a big baking sheet. Repeat with all meatballs since they can not all match into the pan directly. Flip off warmth. Pour off any extra oil. In a really massive pot, add the sliced onions and half of the BBQ sauce and Italian dressing. Add the meatballs and pour remaining BBQ sauce and Italian dressing on high. Flip the warmth to low-medium and simmer till the sauce thickens barely, the flavors mix, and the meatballs are cooked via, about 25–35 minutes.
