This easy slow cooker meal is a light, bright, and healthy spin on a classic favorite. Meatballs simmered for hours in marinara: no candle can make your house smell this good! Enjoy over spaghetti squash “noodles” or regular pasta.

Servings: 6

Serving Size: 4 meatballs (150g) with ¾ cup sauce (190g)  

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours

Nutrition Facts:  304 calories / 24g carbs / 29.5g protein / 9.5g fat

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ lb (680g) 93% lean ground beef
• ¼ cup (21g) quick oats
• 1 large (50g) egg
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning (divided)
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder (divided)
• 1 teaspoon salt (divided)
• 2 28-oz cans (1588g) crushed tomatoes

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, lightly mix together the ground beef, oats, egg, 1 tablespoon of the Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. Form into 24 meatballs, about 2 tablespoons of meat mixture per ball.  (However, you can make them any size you want!)
3. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 5-10 minutes until browned.
4. To the slow cooker, add the canned tomatoes and the remaining 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. Add the browned meatballs to the sauce.
5. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 3-4 hours. Serve over squash noodles (zucchini “zoodles”, butternut or spaghetti squash noodles) or regular pasta. Garnish with fresh basil or crushed red pepper flakes.

Notes:

1. If served with 1 cup cooked spaghetti squash “noodles”, macros are: 346 calories / 34g carbs / 30.5g protein / 10g fat . If served with 1 cup cooked spaghetti pasta, macros are: 514 calories / 67g carbs / 37g protein / 10.5g fat.
2. You can skip the meatball browning step, although you may find the meatballs crumble into the marinara in the slow cooker.