Slow Cooker Meatballs Florentine

These slow cooker meatballs Florentine are made with ground beef, lots of spinach, Parmesan cheese, and are slowly simmered to perfection in a tasty homemade sauce.

I received product for this post from Banza. All opinions are my own. #NationalSlowCookerMonth. 

These meatballs Florentine are also a great way to get your kids to eat their spinach... without even knowing it! This spaghetti and meatballs recipe is super family friendly.

After simmering these meatballs in the slow cooker for five hours on low, serve them over spaghetti along with a salad and crusty bread for a delicious family dinner.

I am currently falling back in love with my slow cooker. In the last week, I've made this Chinese barbecue pork, this loaded baked potato soup, and this red beans and rice dish. Every single recipe was killer good and so easy to make.

How to Make Slow Cooker Meatballs Florentine:

First, you add the sauce ingredients into your slow cooker.

Next, you make the meatballs by combining bread, milk, Parmesan cheese, and lots and lots (4 cups) of chopped spinach before adding ground beef. These meatballs are probably about half meat and half veggies.

Form the mixture into balls and then give them a spin in the microwave to help firm them up before adding them to the slow cooker, a trick I learned from America's Test Kitchen.

Finally, cook these meatballs in the slow cooker in the sauce on low for 4 to 5 hours. Once the meatballs and sauce are fully cooked, stir some fresh basil into the mix.

You (and your kids) will love these meatballs. In fact, don't tell the kids what Florentine means and they'll never even know that they are getting a full serving of spinach in their spaghetti and meatballs.

I served the meatballs and sauce over Banza spaghetti (they are a sponsor... be sure to enter our giveaway at the end of this post to win a Banza prize package), which is made with chickpeas, not wheat.

The pasta turns out like wheat pasta after boiling. Just be sure to use a larger than usual saucepan because the water gets super foamy while the pasta is cooking.

These meatballs were moist and flavorful, and had a wonderful texture, and the sauce was delicious. The recipe makes about 24 meatballs, enough for a pound of pasta.

Instead of spaghetti, you can substitute any pasta you like, such as shells, bowtie, or angel hair pasta. You could also serve these meatballs in submarine sandwiches with some of the sauce and cheese. Doesn't that sound amazing?

What to do with leftover Slow Cooker Meatballs Florentine:

If you have leftover spaghetti, toss it in some of the sauce just to coat the noodles and store in the refrigerator separate from the meatballs. 

To serve the spaghetti and meatballs, Place some of the spaghetti in a bowl, top with more sauce and meatballs, and microwave until just heated through. It made a fantastic lunch the next day. 

When you are making the meatballs you might doubt that so much spinach will fit into a pound of ground beef. I was a little worried, but was so happy with the results! And my taste testers loved them! 

Plus, you don't have to serve a vegetable on the side!

More National Slow Cooker Month Recipes:

• Creamy Mac and Cheese with Corn by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Mexican Shredded Beef by That Recipe
• Slow Cooker Bacon & Yellow Split Pea Soup by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Soup by Palatable Pastime
• Slow Cooker Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders by Savory Moments
• Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Stew by The Freshman Cook
• Slow Cooker French Dip Sliders by Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Slow Cooker Meatballs Florentine by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Slow Cooker Pasta Bolognese by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Slow Cooker Rosemary Dinner Rolls by Blogghetti

Slow Cooker Meatballs Florentine

The meaty flavor of these meatballs Florentine is a sneaky and delicious way to add a full serving of spinach to each plateful.

Slow Cooker Meatballs Florentine

Yield: 6 servings

Author: Karen Kerr

These slow cooker meatballs Florentine are made with ground beef, lots of spinach, Parmesan cheese, and are slowly simmered to perfection in a tasty homemade sauce.

ingredients:

• 1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced and divided into thirds
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
• 2 slices soft sandwich bread, torn into small pieces
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 4 ounces (4 cups) baby spinach, chopped
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

instructions:

How to cook Slow Cooker Meatballs Florentine

1. In your 5 to 7 quart slow cooker, add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, 2/3 of the minced garlic, the sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper flakes. 
2. Using a large fork, in a large bowl, mash the bread, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt into a paste. Add the spinach, Parmesan, the rest of the garlic, and the rest of the pepper flakes and stir. 
3. Crumble the ground beef over the mixture and mix it in with your hands until everything is fully combined. 
4. Form the mixture into 24 - 1 1/4 inch balls and place them on a large plate. 
5. Microwave the meatballs for 5 minutes (you can also microwave the meatballs in two batches). 
6. Place the meatballs, along with any juices, in the slow cooker with the sauce. 
7. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. 
8. Salt and pepper the mixture to taste (I did not add any). 
9. Stir in the basil. 
10. Serve over cooked spaghetti and garnish with more Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper. 

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2020/01/slow-cooker-meatballs-florentine.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

meatballs, spaghetti, pasta

Main dish

Italian

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @KarensKitchenStories on instagram and hashtag it #KarensKitchenStories

Created using The Recipes Generator

This recipe was inspired and adapted from The Complete Slow Cooker.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Contest runs 1/20/2020 at 12:00 a.m. till 1/27/2020 at 11:59 p.m. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. Bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment. Winners have 24 hours to respond once notified by email, or they forfeit the prize and an alternate winner will be chosen. The #NationalSlowCookerMonth bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members living in the household cannot enter or win the giveaway. Entries will be verified. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter giveaway and contest is open only to US residents. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the #NationalSlowCookerMonth posts or entry. Thank you to our sponsors Banza, Camellia, and Rhodes for providing prizes.