Herbie Creative Recipes

Rustic Slow Cooker Creamy Roasted Tomato Meatballs

Name: Rustic Slow Cooker Creamy Roasted Tomato Meatballs: Slow Cooker Meatballs in Creamy Roasted Tomato Sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h 20 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 package meatballs (chicken, beef, turkey, Italian, or homemade; packaged pre-cooked or raw); 5 to 6 whole fresh tomatoes; 1 (14.5 oz) can Hunt's Fire Roasted Garlic Diced Tomatoes; 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped; 1 orange bell pepper, roughly chopped; 10 to 12 cloves garlic; 4 green onions, chopped; 5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme; 2 tbsp butter; 1 tbsp sugar (or 2 tsp honey); 2 tsp kosher salt; 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper; ½ tsp smoked paprika; ½ tsp dried oregano; ¼ tsp white pepper (optional); ⅛ tsp freshly grated nutmeg; ¼ tsp MSG (optional, but recommended); 2 tbsp sun dried tomato pesto; 2 tbsp basil pesto; ½ cup heavy whipping cream; ¼ cup shaved Parmesan, stirred into the sauce; Additional shaved Parmesan for serving

Slow Cooker Meatballs in Creamy Roasted Tomato Sauce

Meatballs in a blended roasted tomato cream sauce with dual pestos, cream, Parmesan, smoked paprika, and nutmeg. Herbie used Costco chicken meatballs. Any meatballs work.

Mains Slow Cooker Italian From Herbie 4 to 6 servings Prep 20 min Cook 4 hrs Total 4 hrs 20 min

Created July 9, 2026 Last cooked August 27, 2026

5.0 (1 review)

Finished

Ingredients

1 package meatballs (chicken, beef, turkey, Italian, or homemade; packaged pre-cooked or raw)
5 to 6 whole fresh tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) can Hunt's Fire Roasted Garlic Diced Tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 orange bell pepper, roughly chopped
10 to 12 cloves garlic
4 green onions, chopped
5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp sugar (or 2 tsp honey)
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp white pepper (optional)
⅛ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
¼ tsp MSG (optional, but recommended)
2 tbsp sun dried tomato pesto
2 tbsp basil pesto
½ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup shaved Parmesan, stirred into the sauce
Additional shaved Parmesan for serving

Instructions

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tbsp butter, then whole tomatoes, peppers, garlic, green onions, and thyme. Cook 10-15 minutes, turning tomatoes until skins blister and peppers caramelize. Transfer everything to the crockpot.
Add fire-roasted tomatoes, sugar, salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, oregano, optional white pepper, and optional MSG. Stir gently and nestle the meatballs into the vegetables.

Prep
Cook on LOW 6-7 hours or HIGH 3 1/2-4 hours. If the meatballs were not pre-cooked, cook until a meatball is done in the center before moving on to blending. For chicken or turkey, that is 165°F in the center.

Cooking
Remove meatballs and thyme stems. Blend remaining contents until smooth and return sauce to the crockpot.
Stir in sun-dried tomato pesto, basil pesto, heavy cream, Parmesan, and nutmeg. Return meatballs. Cook on LOW another 15-20 minutes.
Taste and adjust with more salt, sugar or honey, or butter if desired. Serve over ravioli or pasta with extra Parmesan and optional hot honey drizzle.

Finished Rustic Slow Cooker Creamy Roasted Tomato Meatballs: Slow Cooker Meatballs in Creamy Roasted Tomato Sauce — Finished dish

Notes

Herbie used Costco chicken meatballs. Any meatballs are good here: chicken, beef, turkey, Italian, or homemade.
Pre-cooked packaged meatballs: add them as written and heat them through in the sauce during the slow cook.
Raw, fresh, or homemade meatballs are fine in the slow cooker too. Cook until fully done in the center before the cream finish. For chicken or turkey, 165°F. Without a thermometer, cut one open. The center should not be pink. Plan on the full LOW 6-7 hours or HIGH 3 1/2-4 hours when starting from raw.

Reviews

5.0

1 review

5 stars 1
4 stars 0
3 stars 0
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1 star 0

Anonymous 2026-08-11

Creamy roasted tomato sauce and meatballs. Sunday dinner energy.