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Crockpot Chili Meatballs and Spaghetti. Slow-cooked meatballs with onion and garlic, then seasoned with chili powder, paprika, cumin, and cayenne. Roll the meat into balls and slow cook with fire-roasted tomatoes, peppers, and broth. Finish these saucy chili meatballs off with cheddar cheese and serve over spaghetti – Cincinnati chili style. This dish is so warming and delicious. If there’s one comforting chili you make this season, it’s these yummy meatballs. This is a one-pot meatball and spaghetti dinner that’s the easiest dish you’ll make all week, and also one of the most delicious. Be sure to add some beer bread on the side!
We’ve had some seriously cold temperatures here recently. With snow over the weekend and temps in the negatives. I am very much into my “cozy era”. I’ve been having a lot of fun with my crockpot and slow-braising dishes in the oven. They always turn out so yummy.
I made these chili meatballs and spaghetti in the crockpot or you can slow braise them in the oven too. Ethier way, you’ll have such a simple cozy family meal, and it’s all made in one pot. We just love that!
Growing up in Cleveland, Cincinnati chili was fairly common. It’s also my mom’s favorite style of chili. In fact, she won’t eat chili without angel hair pasta underneath and a pile of cheddar cheese on top.
Bowl-style chili just isn’t for her, and honestly, I prefer her way too. It’s yet another cozy, childhood comfort food that we both love.
I thought it would be interesting to make chili meatballs and spaghetti. I know it sounds odd, but I promise, this is going to be delicious and feel like a fun family-style dinner!
The details
Step 1: mix the meatballs
I love to use ground beef, but ground chicken is great too. I seasoned the meatballs with our favorite mix of chili seasonings, onion, and garlic. Then chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, garlic powder, and of course, salt.
Roll this mix together until very well combined, then roll into 15-16 bite-size meatballs.
Step 2: assemble the chili
Now, you can cook this in the crockpot or in the oven using a large Dutch oven with a lid. I personally, prefer the crockpot. Arrange the meatballs in the crockpot, then pour over a big can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes. Add tomato paste and broth, then a chopped poblano pepper and pickled jalapeños too.
Be sure to season again with salt.
At this point, slow-cook the meatballs in the sauce for a few hours. By the time these are finished cooking your house will smell wonderful. Like your favorite pot of Sunday chili.
Step 3: cook the spaghetti
If you’re using the crockpot, you can cook the spaghetti in the sauce. Add dry spaghetti directly to the meatballs. Pour over water, then nestle the pasta into the sauce. Let the pasta cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Just make sure to stir once or twice throughout cooking to ensure the pasta does not clump up.
Alternatively, you can cook the spaghetti separately on the stove. Either option works well.
Step 4: finish the meatballs
When the pasta is cooked, sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the meatballs and sauce. Let the cheese melt, about 10 minutes.
Now pull the spaghetti out of the sauce, plate it, and top with the cheesy meatballs, cilantro, and green onions. If you cooked the spaghetti in boiling water, just plate the spaghetti, then spoon the sauce and cheesy meatballs over the spaghetti.
You can serve this up on busy weeknights, but it’s equally great for those upcoming holiday dinners with friends and family. I always do a salad. And if you have a little more time highly suggest adding some 5 Ingredient Beer Bread, it doesn’t take long.
A note on the meatballs…
The longer you cook the meatballs the more they will eventually break apart, that’s okay. Just keep them in the sauce and serve as directed. They’re delicious both whole or broken up!
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Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Chili Meatballs and Spaghetti, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crockpot Chili Meatballs and Spaghetti
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 471 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef or chicken
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 can (28 ounce) fire-roasted dice tomatoes
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 poblano pepper, chopped
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, chopped
- 1 can black beans, drained
- 3/4 pound dry spaghetti
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped green onion
Instructions
Crockpot
- 1. Add the ground beef, onion, garlic, chili powder, paprika, cumin, cayenne, garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon salt to a bowl. Mix to combine. Coat your hands with oil, and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 15-16 meatballs). Place the meatballs in the bowl of your crockpot.2. Pour over the tomatoes. Add the tomato paste, broth, poblano pepper, and pickled jalapeños. Season with salt. Give everything a gentle stir. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 1-2 hours.3. Crank the heat on the slow cooker to high. Mix in the beans. Add the spaghetti and pour over 1 cup of water. Nestle the spaghetti into the sauce. Cover and cook 20-30 minutes, or until the spaghetti is al dente, stirring halfway through. Sprinkle the cheese over the chili. Let melt for 10-15 minutes. 4. Serve the cheesy meatballs over the spaghetti and sauce. Top with cilantro and green onion.
Stove
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325° F.2. Add the ground beef, onion, garlic, chili powder, paprika, cumin, cayenne, garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon salt to a bowl. Mix to combine. Coat your hands with oil, and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 15-16 meatballs). 3. Arrange the meatballs in a large dutch oven with lid. Pour over the tomatoes. Add the tomato paste, broth, poblano pepper, and pickled jalapeños. Season with salt. Give everything a gentle stir. Cover and roast for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until slightly thickened. 4. Crank the heat on the oven to 425° F. Remove the lid. Mix in the beans. Top with cheese. Cook another 10-15 minutes to melt the cheese. 5. Just before serving, cook the spaghetti according to package directions. 6. Serve the cheesy meatballs and sauce over the spaghetti. Top with cilantro and green onion.
Notes
If the meatballs are breaking:
The longer you cook the meatballs the more they will eventually break apart, that’s ok. Just keep them in the sauce and serve as directed. They’re delicious both whole or broken up!
Made recipe for crockpot. Absolutely delicious and very filling. I think it serves more than 6. Next time I will cut in half. Thanks for another great meal.
Hey Beth,
Happy Wednesday!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this dish, thanks a lot for trying it out! xT
This was a winning dish in our house this evening! I followed the oven instructions as I’m more successful with sauces thickening when oven roasting rather than the crockpot. Didn’t make changes to the written recipe and my meatballs stayed intact. Will be making again when family is in town for Thanksgiving! Thanks for a great recipe!
Hey Stephanie,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it turned out well for you:)
I think this recipe is great! I made the meatballs exactly as the recipe states. I did put them in the fridge for awhile before putting them in the crockpot. Otherwise, I did everything else per the recipe. I even had homemade pickled jalapeños to use. I would definitely make it again. Meatballs held up just fine!
Hey Shana,
Love to hear that this recipe was delish! Thanks for making it and your feedback! Have a great weekend!🍁🍃
This looks REALLY good! I love my chili over spaghetti anyway, so this is no different. I do have what might be a dumb question… I don’t usually cook meatballs in the sauce because I’m concerned about the fat that is released during cooking. How do you deal with that? Should I use very lean beef, or just skim all of the oil off the top before adding in the cheese?
Thanks!
Great question! I’d love to know this too! Making it this weekend and was planning on using ground sirloin which is leaner. Is this a good idea?
Hi Ann,
Sure, sounds like a great idea, ground chicken is also going to be less fatty! Let me know how this dish turns out, I hope you love it! xT
Hi Nick,
You could really do either, a lean beef will obviously give you less fat, you could also skim it off the top when finished cooking. Ground chicken is going to release very little to no grease so you could also go that route! I hope you love this dish! xT
How would this be done with an Instant Pot?
Hi Georgianna,
So sorry, I did not test this recipe in the instant pot, so I would stick with the slow cooker or stove top methods:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I made this last night and couldn’t believe how easy it was to pull together and so delicious. We needed something cozy on a cold and win Hubby loved it!
Hey Lyn,
Awesome!! Love to hear that you and your husband enjoyed this dish! Thanks for making it! xT
Have to say this recipe sounded intriguing to have beams in the sauce over spaghetti, but it was pretty darn good! The flavors of the meatballs and sauce were great. We left out the jalapeños and used as a topping instead since we gave little ones that don’t like the spice. Sauce was a little thinner than I usually like so may cut back on the broth a bit but overall a tasty recipe that we’ll make again. Thanks T!
Sorry forgot to give it 5 stars!
Thanks again Courtney:)
Hi Courtney,
Thanks for your comment and trying this recipe! I am so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great day:)
I should have believed the reviews. I was very disappointed and will not make this again.
Hi Renee,
Sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed. Please let me know if there is something specific that I can help with! xx
I made this last night and it was SO good! I was nervous it might be too spicy but, while it had a kick for sure, it had the “heat” I love in my chili. I’m so excited for leftovers today!
Yay!! Love to hear this Rebecca! Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your review! xT
There are some really negative comments here from people who haven’t even bothered making the recipe. I made it today and it’s pretty good!
I did cut everything down by a bit because I only had 1lb of ground beef.
Other tweaks I made based on what I had on hand were using bell pepper instead of poblano (though I think poblano would have made it even better), adding one of the fire roasted hatch chiles that I had in the freezer and using bowtie pasta instead of spaghetti.
I did add maybe 1/3 cup of panko into the beef mixture before rolling it into balls because I had it on hand and I knew it would help bind everything.
The only thing I would recommend is using half an onion. I love onion but there was still a bit too much and I used a very small one.
Even though I stirred the mixture around when I added the beans and the pasta, the meatballs did NOT fall apart, even after cooking on low for about 3 hours and then on high for long enough to cook the pasta.
I think this is a good recipe and it can be pretty easily adapted based on what you like and what you have in your kitchen.
Hey Melody,
That’s fantastic to hear! Thanks for trying this dish and your comment, love that it was enjoyed! Thanks for all of your helpful notes, too! xT
Hi there do you think this can be done in an instapot? Do you have any helpful tips if it can be? Thank you for these recipes! Ive enjoyed the ones ive tried so far:)
Hi Tammy,
So sorry, I have not tested this recipe in the IP. I would stick with the slow cooker or stove top for this recipe:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
This was ok. I found the sauce a little watery. The flavours were good . Probably won’t make it again.
Hi Joy,
Thanks for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t love it! xx
This recipe was delicious as written. I especially like the creamy texture of the spaghetti from the added cheese. Yum!
Hi Paula,
Happy Monday!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for trying and your feedback! xT
5 stars for the meatballs! I used grass fed beef, adding an egg and 1/3 c panko bread crumbs for binder. I made 2-bite sized mini meatballs, nestled them into my favorite black bean and sweet potato chili base in the slow cooker for 5 hours (2 on high 3 on low), and not a broken meatball in the lot.
Hey Jennifer,
Fantastic!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing what worked well for you, so glad it was a winner! xT
I’m confused! When are the black beans added? I can’t see that step in the recipe but it’s listed as an ingredient.
Hi Alison,
The black beans are added in step 3:)
Can this be done in the instapot?
Hi Lisa,
Sorry, I did not test this recipe in the instant pot, so I would recommend sticking with the slow cooker or stove top method:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT