Slow Cooker Meatballs | UK style

These easy slow cooker meatballs UK style are a typical example of an Italian dish adopted and much loved by the British. One day, they tasted the best I’ve ever made them, so I quickly recorded exactly what I put in before I forgot.

The soy and Worcester sauces add an extra dimension of depth to this slow cooker beef dish, but are by no means essential. Don’t buy them especially, as you could always add a dash of wine (any colour) instead. I use ready made meatballs, rather than rolling up raw ground beef mince to make each meatball. Whether you use fresh parsley, rosemary, thyme and basil or dried Italian herbs, the flavour is great after slow cooking. If you like, you can add couple of crushed or sliced garlic cloves, too.

Rather than slow cooker meatballs and gravy UK style, this dish is a nice variation on staple Spag bol recipes. Despite the tomato sauce, the slow cooked meatballs still have a satisfyingly meaty flavour. This is so quick to throw together in the slow cooker that by the time you eat it, later on, you’ll be surprised by how effortlessly you put such a delicious meal together. You need so little equipment too.

These meatballs in a slow cooker, UK style, serve 4

Ingredients for slow cooker meatballs UK style

• Olive oil, for frying
• Red onion, 1, chopped
• Carrot, 1, peeled and chopped finely
• Button mushrooms, about 3-4, sliced
• Beef meatballs, 1 pack
• Chopped tomatoes, 1 tin
• Beef stock, pot or cube
• Thyme, fresh, a stem or 2; or dried, a pinch
• Rosemary, fresh, a stem; or dried, a pinch
• Parsley, fresh, a stem or 2; or dried, a pinch
• Basil, fresh, a stem; or dried, a pinch
• Bay leaf, fresh or dried, 1
• Worcester sauce, a dash (optional)
• Soy sauce, a dash (optional)

Equipment

• Sharp knife
• Chopping board
• Slow cooker

How to make this slow cooker meatballs recipe

• Fry the onion and carrot in a little olive oil for a few minutes, in your slow cooker pot, until starting to soften. Use a saucepan if your slow cooker pot is not suitable for use on the hob.
• Add the meatballs and cook, stirring, until they are browned all over.
• Add all the other ingredients and mix together. Then slow cook the meatballs and sauce for about 6 hours on Low (or judge the time according to experience or your slow cooker manufacturer’s guidelines).

Serve over linguine, spaghetti or the pasta of your choice.

Related recipes:

• Slow cooker Moroccan beef tagine
• Meatballs in creme fraiche sauce
• Slow cooker beef ragu
• Beef massaman curry in a slow cooker
• Slow cooker lentil & sausage casserole

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