Slow Cooker Sausage Meatball and Pepper Casserole
Fully raw meatballs, Italian sausage blended with lean ground turkey, dropped straight into a slow cooker with peppers, onions, and tomato sauce. No browning, no separate pot, just melty mozzarella on top at the end.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 pounds Italian sausage casings removed
- 1 pounds ground turkey
- 1/2 cups breadcrumbs or panko
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cups grated parmesan cheese
- 2 garlic cloves minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
- 3 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning divided
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 bell peppers sliced (mixed colors)
- 1 yellow onion sliced
- 28 oz can of San Marzano whole tomatoes
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 cup marinara sauce optional, see note
- 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a large bowl, gently combine the ground turkey, Italian sausage (casings removed), breadcrumbs, egg, grated parmesan, garlic cloves, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Form into 1.5 inch balls (about 24 - 28 meatballs).
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the whole tomatoes, remaining Italian seasoning, red wine vinegar, and marinara sauce (if using, see notes). Break up the large tomatoes as much as possible with a fork or by pressing down with a whisk.
- Layer the vegetables and sauce. Spread the bell peppers and sliced onion on the bottom of the crockpot. Pour 1/2 of tomato sauce on top.
- Nestle the meatballs on top of the vegetables, as close as you can to a single layer. Pour the remaining sauce on top, ensuring that each meatball is mostly covered.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through (165 degrees internal temperature). If there is a layer of grease from the sausage, skim the top if needed.
- Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top of the meatballs and sauce. Cover and cook on high for an additional 15 minutes.
Notes
I use marinara sauce in addition to the whole tomatoes to make this recipe even more saucy. I prefer that ratio, but if you prefer a meatier sauce, you can omit the 1 cup. Alternatively, you can use all marinara sauce in place of the whole tomatoes.