Variations & Tips
Because this recipe was born from making do with what was on hand, it adapts easily while still honoring the 4-ingredient spirit. If you want a slightly looser, silkier sauce, stir 1/4 cup of water into the tomato sauce before pouring it over the meatballs; the slow simmer will still give you a glossy finish. For a deeper, more savory note, you can swap 1/2 teaspoon of the salt for 1/2 teaspoon of beef bouillon granules, which dissolve into the tomato sauce as it cooks. If your family prefers a bit of sweetness, stir 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar into the tomato sauce before adding it to the slow cooker to round out the acidity, a trick many Midwestern grandmothers used. To stretch the meal further without extra ingredients, simply serve the meatballs over a larger bed of rice or noodles and spoon on extra sauce from the pot. Leftovers reheat very well: cool completely, refrigerate in a covered container for up to 3 days, and warm gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much.
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