Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Meatballs with Gnocchi

The ultimate comfort food, this rich and creamy Tuscan-inspired slow cooker gnocchi and meatballs is the cold weather meal you’ve been needing. As avid slow cooker users for nearly 20 years, we love the ease of this flavor-packed crockpot meal and the homemade chicken meatballs are divine! Our simple instructions and step-by-step photos will help you make this cozy meal successfully the first time you try it.

Ingredients For Tuscan Gnocchi and Meatballs

Meatball Ingredients:

• Ground Chicken. This lean-meat is the star of our meatballs!
• Large Egg. The egg adds richness and acts as a binder to help hold our meatballs together.
• Panko. Also acts as a binder for our meatballs. We’ve used both regular or whole wheat panko. If needed, you can use standard bread crumbs too (we’re big fans of using what you’ve got!).
• Grated Parmesan Cheese. Adds a bit of bold, cheesy flavor to our meatballs and also acts as a binder.
• Italian Seasoning, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Salt, and Pepper. We’re using pantry staples to season our chicken meatballs!

Sauce and Gnocchi Ingredients:

• Dry White Wine. Used to deglaze our pan (if needed), add a brightness to our cream sauce, and to help bring out the other flavors in the dish. Easy to find dry white wines that I’d recommend using for this recipe include sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, or an unoaked chardonnay.
• Chicken Broth. Adds savory depth of flavor to our sauce.
• Italian Seasoning, Salt, and Pepper. We’re amping up the same flavors infused in our meatballs in our sauce too!
• Heavy Cream. Used to help thicken and to make our sauce wonderfully rich and creamy.
• Grated Parmesan Cheese. We’re using the same cheese that was added to our meatballs to add a bold, cheesy flavor to our sauce.
• Sundried Tomatoes Packed in Oil. Sundried tomatoes add a sweet, tangy flavor to our sauce as well as some nice texture to our dish. We also use the oil they’re packed into brown our meatballs before putting them in the slow-cooker, infusing them with more rich flavor.
• Baby Spinach. Adds a nice amount of veggies and freshness to balance out the creaminess in our Tuscan gnocchi recipe.
• Shelf-Stable Gnocchi. Find this in your local grocery store’s pasta aisle. A great item to keep in your pantry!

Helpful Equipment

You will need either a 4 quart slow cooker (what I’d consider a medium sized crockpot) or a 7 quart slow cooker (what I’d consider a large sized crockpot) to make this recipe. I’ve successful made a single batch of this Tuscan gnocchi in each of these sizes.

I also find that a medium cookie scoop makes the perfect sized meatballs!

How to Make Tuscan Chicken Meatballs with Gnocchi in a Slow Cooker

Add all of the meatball ingredients to a medium bowl and mix together until just combined.

Form the meatballs (we like to portion them with a medium cookie scoop, but you could also use 1-2 Tablespoons of mixture).

Heat the oil from the sundried tomatoes in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat, then add the formed meatballs to the skillet to sear.

Cook the meatballs, turning them with a tongs, until the outsides are browned (the insides don’t need to be cooked through at this point).

Add the seared meatballs to the basin of your slow cooker.

Add the chicken broth, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper into the basin along with the meatballs.

Use the wine to deglaze your pan (if needed) and then add all contents from the pan to the slow cooker. Otherwise, add the wine directly to the crockpot.

Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.

Once the meatballs are cooked, add in the gnocchi and sundried tomatoes and stir to coat everything in broth.

Add the parmesan cheese and cream, stirring again, and then cover and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

Add the fresh spinach, stir to combine.

Once the spinach is wilted, it’s ready to enjoy!

Variations on Our Gnocchi with Chicken Meatballs

While we think this recipe is perfect as-is, try one of this variations to customize it to your liking!

• Try ground turkey instead of ground chicken. These can be used interchangeably in most recipes, so if you have ground turkey on hand or that’s what you could find at the store, feel free to use it!
• Make our chicken and spinach meatballs for this recipe instead! It’s a good way to add some more veggies to this dish. Instead of baking them, sear them and place them into the slow cooker as noted for the meatballs in this recipe.
• Use fresh garlic instead of garlic powder. We’ve used a pantry staple to keep our recipe easy, but please feel free to use fresh if preferred! Generally ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder equates to 1 clove of fresh garlic. Just be sure to mince it finely.
• Use fresh onion instead of onion powder. Again, we’ve used a pantry staple to make life easy. But if you’d prefer to chop up a small white or yellow onion, go for it! Make sure to mince it finely for the meatball mixture.
• Add some spice. Tossing in a dash of red pepper flakes to your sauce will kick things up a notch! You can also use this for serving if everyone prefers a different spice level.
• Try some add-ins. We think some sauteed mushrooms or chopped cooked bacon or pancetta would be great add-ins to this recipe! You could also give it a Mediterranean twist by adding some olives, artichoke hearts, or roasted red peppers too!

Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Meatballs with Gnocchi FAQs

Can I use frozen meatballs instead of homemade? Yes, if frozen meatballs are easier for you, use them! I would recommend using your favorite homestyle meatballs (turkey or chicken). Adjust the cooking time of your slow cooker based on the package recommendations – you just need to make sure they’re heated through.

What to do if my sauce is too thin? First let it sit in the basin of your crockpot uncovered for 15-20 minutes to thicken naturally. If it’s still too thin for your liking you can either add a little more parmesan cheese or a quick cornstarch slurry (start with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with 3 teaspoons of cold water until dissolved) and stir it into the warm sauce.