If you need a family friendly dinner that’s both easy and delicious, this slow cooker broccoli and meatball pasta with a creamy red sauce checks all the boxes. It’s easy, filling, and made with simple ingredients you probably already have. Just toss it in the slow cooker and let it simmer away while you go about your day.
If you need a meatball recipe for this dinner, check out my chicken meatballs with parmesan. I like to make a big batch and freeze them to throw in meals.
If you love easy dinners, check out my Slow Cooker chicken tacos, sheet pan steak fajitas, cheeseburger medley, or sheet pan garlic and broccoli!
Ingredients
This recipe is a toss and go recipe that can be made by just adding your ingredients to your crockpot. It's a great recipe to put in on high while you are at practice with your kids or doing chores around the house. It takes me about two hours on high. If you wanted it to take more time if you'll be gone longer, cook on low.
- Frozen Broccoli
- Pre Cooked Meatballs, Chicken or beef
- Pasta, I like Jovial brown rice pasta for this recipe.
- Marinara Sauce, the Ragu Kettle is good.
- Bone Broth, use broth instead of stock for extra protein. I get mine at Aldi.
- Garlic
- Italian Seasoning
- Lawry's Garlic Salt
- Cream Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese, shredded
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Grab your slow cooker. Layer the pasta and bone broth in the bottom, then the broccoli, then the meatballs. Pour the sauce, minced garlic, and seasonings over the top. Either cook on high for about two hours, or low for 4ish hours. Experiment with this the first time because every slow cooker is very different. (If you have a ninja slow cooker, high is VERY high and low is hardly warm). After everything is warmed through/ cooked, turn the heat off and add in your cream cheese and parmesan. Stir every few minutes until melted. Dinner is served! Serve with your favorite garlic bread for more of a spaghetti feel.
Hint: Use pre cooked meatballs and frozen broccoli to save time. If your family cannot stand the taste of broccoli, try cauliflower because it masks the taste much better.
Substitutions
- You can sub out the broccoli for cauliflower!
- You could sub the chicken meatballs for beef meatballs.
Equipment
Slow Cooker
Storage
Store in a container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Top Tip
Be sure you layer the pasta and bone broth on the bottom so that it cooks well.
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📖Recipe
Slow Cooker Broccoli and Meatball Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 20 oz Frozen Broccoli I buy the 10 oz bags of frozen
- 1 lb Pre Cooked Meatballs Chicken or beef
- 12 oz Pasta I like Jovial brown rice pasta for this recipe.
- 1 jar 24 oz Marinara Sauce Ragu Kettle is good.
- 1.5 Cups Bone Broth use broth instead of stock for extra protein. I get mine at Aldi.
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Lawry's Garlic Salt Adjust based on which sauce and bone broth you use.
- 1 brick Cream Cheese
- 1 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese extra for topping
Instructions
- Grab your slow cooker. Layer the pasta and bone broth in the bottom, then the broccoli, then the meatballs.
- Pour the sauce, minced garlic, and seasonings over the top.
- Either cook on high for about two hours, or low for 4ish hours.
- Experiment with this the first time because every slow cooker is very different. (If you have a ninja slow cooker, high is VERY high and low is hardly warm).
- After everything is warmed through/ cooked, turn the heat off and add in your cream cheese and parmesan.
- Stir every few minutes until melted. Dinner is served! Serve with your favorite garlic bread for more of a spaghetti feel.
Notes
Substitutions
- You can sub out the broccoli for cauliflower! You won't notice the taste as much as you will broccoli. You could sub the chicken meatballs for beef meatballs.
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