Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs
Easy Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs with a rich onion broth and melted mozzarella cheese on top. A set it and forget it slow cooker favorite!
AN EASY DUMP AND GO DINNER MEAL
If you love the comforting flavors of French onion soup, you’re going to fall head over heels for these Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs. This recipe is perfect for busy weeknights, game day gatherings, or whenever you want a hearty meal with minimal effort and still want to get that maximum amount of flavor. No real prep work, just toss it all in and go about your day!
Sooo good! Served with garlic bread and a wonderful salad. Oh what a wonderful meal!
– Kate
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Sure, I used frozen ones for the convenience of it with this recipe. It’s super simple to just grab the bag from the freezer and get rocking and rolling on the recipe. But if you want to make some Homemade Meatballs, by all means, go for it. Just make sure they’re almost fully cooked before adding them to the slow cooker. Otherwise, they could potentially fall apart in the broth or will release too much grease while cooking. You could certainly use Turkey Meatballs too.
I think the Homestyle meatballs are going to work best here. The Italian ones will have the Italian Seasonings that don’t work quite as well with the other flavors. But, in a pinch, I suppose they could work, especially since the flavors aren’t super strong in most frozen meatball varieties.
I love serving them as a meal, but you could technically serve them as an appetizer. As you can see, when I made these Slow Cooker French Onion Meatballs, I served them with mashed potatoes and some steamed green beans. You could even do Dinner Rolls, which would be great to soak up any extra broth. I think egg noodles pasta would be another good option.
Yes, it definitely can be if you do not use the low or no sodium options like I suggest. I’ve made it both ways (with regular and no sodium) and we preferred it with lower/no sodium options. If you are worried at all about if this is too salty for you, I always suggest using no sodium options, whenever possible. This goes for the beef broth, French Onion Soup and the soup mix especially. I also suggest making your own Homemade Onion Soup Mix (my version is salt free).
No need to thaw the meatballs. They go straight from freezer to slow cooker.
Stir in a handful of sliced mushrooms and freshly sliced onions for extra texture and umami.
You can let it go a little longer on low (up to 6 hours), but the meatballs are already cooked, so you’re mostly just infusing flavor.
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or stovetop until warmed through. You can freeze the leftovers, though the cheese texture may change slightly after thawing. Still tasty, just not quite as gooey.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- frozen beef homestyle meatballs– You can make homemade meatballs if that’s what you prefer. I shared more on that above in the Frequently Asked Question section above. My personal favorite frozen meatballs are the Johnsonville Homestyle Meatballs (not an affiliate link). Unfortunately, my one store that carries them doesn’t keep them in stock often, but I use them when I can. Any other brand that you like should work here.
- low or no sodium beef broth– I highly, highly recommend LOW or NO SODIUM here. With these ingredients things can get super salty really fast so please use those lower or no salt options. You can always add salt in at the end but you can’t take it out once it is in there. If you have any sensitivities to salt, definitely go with no sodium.
- French onion soup mix or beefy onion soup mix – Knorr (not an affiliate link) makes a nice brand of this mix, you can pick up a packet of the Lipton onion soup mix or the store brand. Of course, you can use a Homemade French Onion Soup mix as well. I definitely recommend making it yourself if you need to control your salt intake since my homemade version has no salt in it.
- shredded mozzarella cheese – you can try other shredded cheese options if that is what you would enjoy more. Shredded gruyere also works wonderfully here.
- fresh thyme– this is an optional ingredient that I used for garnish)
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT FRENCH ONION MEATBALLS:
Add the frozen meatballs in a single layer on the bottom of a 4-6 quart crockpot. Pour the can of French Onion Soup over the top of the meatballs.
Sprinkle the packet of beefy onion soup mix over the top. Pour in one cup of beef broth. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 5-6 hours. In a small bowl, stir together the water and cornstarch to make a slurry. Pour this slurry into the meatballs and stir well to combine. Re-cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Sprinkle the cheese on top and cover.
When the cheese is melted, you’re ready to serve. Delicious served over mashed potatoes or egg noodles with a side of green beans!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs
- Crock Pot French Onion Meatloaf
- Crock Pot French Onion Chicken
- French Onion Pork Chops
- Crock Pot French Onion Soup
- Crock Pot Mississippi Meatballs
- Crock Pot Honey Garlic Meatballs (Baby Shower Meatballs)
- Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- Crock Pot Grape Jelly Meatballs
Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs
Ingredients
- 24 ounce bag frozen beef homestyle meatballs (it's okay if it is a little more or a little less)
- 10.5 ounce can French Onion Soup (low sodium) (see notes below)
- 1 packet French onion soup mix (or beefy onion soup mix)
- 1 cup beef broth (low sodium) (see notes below)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (more, to taste)
- fresh thyme or fresh parsley (optional, for garnish)
Optional: to thicken
- 2 Tablespoons corn starch
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Add 24 ounce bag frozen beef homestyle meatballs in a single layer on the bottom of a 4-6 quart crock pot. Pour 10.5 ounce can French Onion Soup (low sodium) over the top of the meatballs.
- Sprinkle 1 packet French onion soup mix over the top. Pour in 1 cup beef broth (low sodium). Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 5-6 hours.
- Note: this step is optional if you want the meatballs to have a thicker gravy. In a small bowl, stir together 2 Tablespoons corn starch and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl to make a slurry. Pour this slurry into the meatballs and stir well to combine. Re-cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese evenly on top and cover. When the cheese is melted, you’re ready to serve.
- Optional: sprinkle with fresh thyme or a little chopped parsley just before serving. Delicious served over mashed potatoes or egg noodles with a side of green beans!
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- I would definitely recommend low or no sodium options where possible. This can get salty if you are using full salt ingredients. You can always add additional salt if you feel it needs it for your tastes.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
My picky 8 year old loved this meal. Thank you!!
Love hearing when our picky ones love a recipe – thank you!
Is it one 10.5 ounce can of low or no sodium beef broth or one can plus one cup?
Directions confuse me as step one states to put meatballs in the bottom of the crockpot and pour one can beef broth over meatballs. Then instructions say to cover meatballs with dry soup mix and pour one cup beef broth over the meatballs which have had soup mix sprinkled on top.
Which is correct please.
One can of french onion soup. You will also be using one cup beef broth (two separate things) – I have an ingredient photo above if you find that helpful 🙂
Loved the looks of recipe have not tried it yet but I will. I am really interested inyou r reicipes for two.
Sooo good! Served with garlic bread and a wonderful salad. Oh what a wonderful meal!