Slow Cooker Pesto Beef Meatballs - an easy comfort food dinner. Juicy beef meatballs are flavoured with pesto, parmesan and simple seasonings, then slow cooked in a rich tomato based sauce until tender and full of flavour.
Perfect for a cosy family dinner any day of the week, these meatballs pair beautifully with all kinds of sides. Serve with pasta, rice or even mashed potatoes for a meal that is simple, hearty and delicious.
Calories in Slow Cooker Pesto Beef Meatballs
This recipe serves 4 and is 395 calories per serving.
If you're looking for more recipes within the same calorie range, you'll find an abundance of options in my dedicated collection of 500+ calorie recipes.
If you're following a calorie-controlled diet or a healthy eating plan, it's important to calculate your daily calorie needs using a reliable calorie calculator. The calorie counts provided are estimates and can vary depending on the exact ingredients and portion sizes you use. Using your own calculations helps ensure you're meeting your individual needs. A calorie calculator can help you make informed choices and stay on track with your goals.
See the recipe card for full nutritional estimation.
Ingredients Notes
To make this recipe you will need the following ingredients:
- Extra Lean Ground Beef: This keeps the meatballs lean while still giving them plenty of flavour. It works perfectly in the slow cooker and stays tender once cooked in the sauce.
- Onion: Adds extra flavour and moisture to both the meatballs and the sauce. Finely chopping helps it blend in nicely.
- Garlic Powder: Adds a savoury garlic flavour evenly through the meatballs. It blends in really well with the beef, pesto and parmesan without adding extra moisture to the mixture.
- Parsley: Adds a little freshness and brightness to the meatballs. Flat leaf parsley works best, but curly parsley is fine too.
- Red Pesto: This adds so much flavour to the meatballs with very little effort. It brings a rich tomatoey, herby taste that works perfectly with the beef and parmesan.
- Parmesan: Adds a lovely salty, savoury flavour to the meatballs. Finely grated parmesan blends through best.
- Breadcrumbs: Help bind the meatballs together and keep them nice and tender. Regular dried breadcrumbs work well here.
- Egg: Helps hold the meatball mixture together so they keep their shape as they cook.
- Passata: Creates the base of the sauce and gives it a smooth rich tomato flavour.
- Chopped Tomatoes: Add texture and extra tomato richness to the sauce. They help make the sauce hearty and full of flavour. Use a good quality brand in a rich tomato sacue for the best results, otherwise your sauce may end up too acidic and watery.
- Tomato Paste: Adds a deeper concentrated tomato flavour and helps enrich the sauce.
- Oregano: A simple dried herb that works perfectly in tomato based sauces. It adds a lovely savoury flavour.
- Garlic: Adds extra flavour to the sauce and helps tie all the ingredients together.
- Maple Syrup: Just a little helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes without making the sauce sweet.
- Stock Cube: Boosts the overall flavour of the sauce and gives it extra depth as everything slow cooks together.
- Salt and pepper - Simple but essential seasonings that bring out the natural flavours of the ingredients.
Once you've gathered all the ingredients and prepared them accordingly, you're all set to create this easy and delightful recipe.
See the recipe card for specific quantities and instructions.
Variations and Substitutes
There are plenty of easy ways to adapt these Slow Cooker Pesto Beef Meatballs.
You can swap the extra lean ground beef for ground turkey, chicken, pork or lamb depending on what you prefer. Turkey or chicken will give a lighter flavour, while pork or lamb will make them a little richer.
Red pesto can be replaced with green pesto if that is what you have on hand. Green pesto gives a more herby basil flavour, while red pesto adds a deeper, slightly richer taste.
If you want to add some vegetables, stir them into the sauce rather than the meatballs. Zucchini, peas, spinach, mushrooms or finely diced bell peppers all work well.
For a little heat, add some chilli flakes or a pinch of dried chilli to the sauce.
You can also switch the parmesan for pecorino, or add a little extra oregano or Italian herbs for even more flavour.
Tips for Slow Cooker Pesto Beef Meatballs
A few simple tips will help you get the best flavour and texture from these slow cooker meatballs.
- No need to brown the meatballs - The meatballs cook perfectly in the sauce in the slow cooker, so I do not usually brown them first. But if you prefer a firmer texture, you can lightly brown them in a frying pan with some low calorie spray, or use the sear function if your slow cooker has one.
- Do not overmix the meatball mixture - Mix just until everything is combined. Overmixing can make the meatballs dense instead of tender.
- Shape the meatballs evenly - Try to keep them all a similar size so they cook evenly and you get the best texture throughout.
- Do not add extra liquid - The passata, chopped tomatoes and meatballs will all release liquid as they cook, creating plenty of sauce by the end, so there is no need to add additional stock or water.
- Do not lift the lid unnecessarily - Every time you remove the lid, heat escapes, which can slow down the cooking time. Leave it covered and let the slow cooker do the work.
- Taste and adjust before serving - Depending on the pesto, parmesan and tomatoes you use, you may want to adjust the seasoning at the end with a little extra salt, black pepper or a touch more maple syrup to balance the acidity.
Side Suggestions
My favourite way to serve these is to stir some cooked spaghetti into the sauce with the meatballs, then pair it with a mixed side salad for a simple and delicious meal.
They are also great served over creamy mashed potatoes or fluffy rice if you want something a little different. If you prefer to keep things lighter, you can just serve them with plenty of vegetables on the side.
For veggie sides, steamed broccoli, green beans, peas or zucchini all work really well. A crisp salad, some garlic green beans or even roasted vegetables would also pair perfectly with the rich tomato sauce.
Storing, Freezing and Reheating
These Slow Cooker Pesto Beef Meatballs store really well, so they are great for leftovers or meal prep.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze the meatballs and sauce for up to 3 months. Allow to cool fully before transferring to freezer safe containers. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.
To reheat, warm in a frying pan over a medium low heat until piping hot, adding a splash of water if needed to loosen the sauce. You can also reheat in the microwave in short bursts, stirring in between, until heated through.
More Ground Beef Recipes
Need more ground beef inspiration? Here are some recipes you'll love:
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Recipe Card
Slow Cooker Pesto Beef Meatballs
Slow Cooker Pesto Beef Meatballs are a comforting, flavour packed dinner with tender beef meatballs cooked in a rich tomato sauce.
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1lb (455g) of extra lean ground beef (mince)
- 1 small onion, grated
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon of dried parsley
- 3 tablespoons of red pesto
- 30g of parmesan, grated
- 30g of dried breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
For the sauce:
- 968g (4 cups) of passata
- 400g of chopped tomatoes (good quality), canned
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
- 1 beef stock cube
- salt and black pepper to season
Instructions
- Add all the sauce ingredients to the slow cooker and mix to combine.
- Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl, form into 20 meatballs
- Place them in the sauce and spoon the sauce over the meatballs to ensure they are all covered
- Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed
- Serve with your choice of sides and enjoy
Notes
Please see below for full nutritional info and additional details about recipe:
- Calories - scroll down to nutritional info box
- WW Points and other Slimming or Weight Loss programs - due to plans regularly changing and updating, we recommend calculating with the official tools you get as a member to those plans to ensure accuracy of values.
- Gluten Free Friendly - use gluten free breadcrumbs and stock cube
- ❄️ Freezer Friendly - see storing, freezing and reheating section
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Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1 SERVINGAmount Per Serving Calories 395Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 6gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 156mgSodium 483mgCarbohydrates 21gFiber 3gSugar 8gProtein 43g
Nutritional information and values etc are an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information. It is always advised that you calculate by the ingredients you use.
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