Slow Cooker Mediterranean Meatball Ratatouille is an easy to prepare dish that combines sausage meatballs with the Mediterranean flavors of eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini, tomato, onion, garlic and basil.
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My cousin Barb Keller, whom I refer to as the queen of the crockpot, was nice enough to share this delicious recipe for Slow Cooker Mediterranean Meatball Ratatouille with me. She makes amazing dishes in her crockpot, and this is one of them.
Italian sausage meatballs slowly cook for several hours in a earthy and savory stew of mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, onion and garlic. Tomatoes, tomato paste, lemon juice and basil are then added close to the end. I love this dish because it’s different from – and has more depth of flavor than – the more traditional Italian dish of meatballs in a marinara sauce.
People of all ages love this dish! I like to serve it over cooked orzo with a tossed salad on the side.
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Note: if you’re not a red meat eater, you can make this dish with Italian turkey sausage, and it’s just as delicious! And, if you are making it in an Instant Pot, see directions in the Notes section below for adjustments.
Slow Cooker Mediterranean Meatball Ratatouille
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage, pork or turkey, casings removed
- 8 ounces baby portabella, cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic , or 1 teaspoon chopped shallot
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped (see Note)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Cooked orzo or rice
Instructions
- In a slow cooker, pour 1 tablespoon oil into the bottom. Shape sausage into 1-inch balls and place on wax paper (makes around 30 meatballs).
- Place half of the meatballs into the pot. Add half the mushrooms, eggplant and zucchini. Add all of the onion and garlic (or shallot), 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Layer the remaining ingredients on top, in the same order: meatballs, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon oil over the top. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.
- Uncover and stir in tomato paste and diced tomatoes. Cover and cook on low for about 15 minutes.
- Stir in basil and lemon juice. Serve with cooked orzo or rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
