CROCKPOT CHALLENGE ROUND 2 - Day 3: Turkey meatballs

I've been on a mission to find a good, healthy crockpot meatball recipe. I've had 2 recent hit and misses lately with turkey meatballs but was up for another try and I'm glad that I did because the 3rd time was apparently the charm. Easy to make and a healthy mix of lean ground turkey (which, if you're not a turkey-lover, you could easily swap out for ground beef, pork, veal or some combination of the above.)


Crockpot Turkey Meatballs:

Ingredients
1 large egg
1 pound 97-98% lean ground turkey
1 pound 92-93% lean ground turkey
2/3 cup Panko
3 Tbls coconut oil
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
2 x 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes

Directions

1. Beat the egg in a large mixing bowl. Add the ground turkey, panko, oil, parmesan, garlic, oregano, basil, salt & pepper. Mix until combined (don't overmix!)

2. Roll into meatballs and place on a large baking sheet. 

3. Spray crockpot with cooking spray and place onion in the bottom of the crockpot. Top with one can of crushed tomatoes.

4. Coat a large skillet with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Lightly brown the meatballs (6-8 at a time) for about a minute on each side. Don't skip this step - it helps to hold the juices inside the meatballs and keeps them from crumbling inside the crockpot.

5. Layer the browned meatballs in the crockpot on top of the sauce. 

6. Once all meatballs have been added, pour the remaining can of crushed tomatoes over the top. Cover & cook on low for 6 hours.

Good as meatball subs, over pasta or zucchini noodles, or as my current go-to pasta replacement, over broccoli slaw: