Paleo Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

I get a lot of meal prep recipes from the blog Paleo Running Momma and the ones I've tried always turn out delicious! I definitely recommend sifting through that blog when you have the time. I always try to pull out the easier and simple ingredient recipes that she posts, like this slow cooker meatball one. I doubled the meatball ingredients to make enough for my weekly meals and also a few meals for my mom. I did not end up making the sauce portion of the recipe because my friend hooked me up with some homemade Italian sauce that her family makes, which was amazing! For the noodles I tried something a little different and mixed spaghetti squash together with zucchini noodles. I thought that combination turned out tasting great and paired well with the meatballs and marinara. For the spaghetti squash I preheated the oven to 400 degrees, cut the squash in half lengthwise, removed the seeds, placed the cut side down on a baking sheet, and baked for 40 minutes. For the zucchini noodles I just put them on top of the meatballs in the slow cooker once there was 30 minutes left on the timer. Super easy! Also, I set the slow cooker to 4.5 hours on low since I doubled the meatballs and that was too long. I recommend sticking to 3.5 hours on low and definitely no more then 4 hours. Overall, I ended up really enjoying this meal and it was really easy to throw together. 

Paleo Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
Ingredients:
For the Meatballs:

• 1 and ¾ lbs ground beef, 85% lean*
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup blanched almond flour
• ¾ tsp fine grain sea salt, divided
• 2 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning blend
• generous pinch crushed red pepper (adjust for spice preference)
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley - optional

For the Sauce:

• 1 - 28 oz can crushed tomatoes with basil**
• 1 - 14 oz can diced tomatoes with basil and garlic**
• 1 - 6 oz can tomato paste
• ½ medium onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh garlic
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together the almond flour, ½ tsp of the sea salt, onion and garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper.
2. In a large bowl, add the ground beef and sprinkle evenly with the remaining sea salt. Add the egg and almond flour mix (plus parsley if adding) and gently mix with your hands until the mixture binds and is evenly distributed. It's important not to work the meat too much or it becomes tough.
3. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your broiler. Form the meat mixture into 20 meatballs and arrange on the baking sheet.
4. Broil 2-4 minutes just to lightly brown and release a small amount of fat (this avoids an overly greasy sauce) and remove promptly.
5. Add the meatballs to the slow cooker, leaving behind any rendered fat. Top the meatballs with all sauce ingredients and give a gentle stir (careful not to break the meatballs!)
6. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, until meatballs are cooked through***
7. Serve when ready to eat with anything you want and garnish with your favorite fresh herbs. Sweet potato noodles, zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, or simply your favorite roasted veggies, potatoes, or even eggs. 

NOTES
*You can use your favorite mix of ground meat as well
**I recommend always adding extra basil and garlic if you use plain tomatoes.
***Each slow cooker is a bit different. I cooked mine for 4 hours, you can check at 3.5 hours if you can and adjust cook time from there, if necessary. Cook time should not be longer than 4.5/5 hours or meatballs will be overcooked and dry.

Original recipe found here