The last meatball recipe you will ever need!
68I put this recipe together to complement the pasta e fagioli recipe that i posted in a separate hub. The soup is an excellent meal by itself, but after a day or two (you can only eat so much soup) I like to use it as an appetizer.
If you are ambitious you can make your own spaghetti sauce, but I have found that store bought sauces are fine if you doctor them up a little.
First the sauce. 2-3 jars minus 1 cup of sauce go into the slow cooker on high heat. While that's heating, chop 3 or 4 cloves of garlic and 1 medium onion and sweat them in 2 tbs of olive oil. add this, including the oil, to the sauce along with a tsp of basil and a tsp of oregano.
In a large bowl combine 1 lb of ground beef with a half lb of Italian sausage. Add 1 large egg, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese 1/2 cup italian bread crumbs, and 1 cup of spaghetti sauce. A 1/2 tsp of high bulk index garlic powder is a wonderful thing here as well.
Mix thoroughly, and form into 1 inch balls. bake covered at 350 degrees for an hour then add to slow cooker and switch to low heat. makes about 40 meatballs that are great with whatever pasta you like. I think they're especially good with gnocchi.
Hint: The longer they're in the slow cooker, the better they are. This also improves the sauce.
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Comments
Great suggestions!
I'm going to try, never thought of cooking meatballs in the slowcooker.
regards Zsuzsy
Thanks for the comments. I've seen a lot of recipes that suggest water to offset the effects of breadcrumbs, but when I add liquid to a recipe, I like to add flavor with it. Beef broth might work as well.
And to Zsuzsy, you've won a place in my heart by being my first fan! I've been reading your hubs, and have joined your fan club as well. Thanks for the encouragement.
It was your awesome avatar that got me to stop by here first. I loved the angel on my shoulder a lot too.
zs
Only a true cook will dare to 'doctor' commercially-prepared sauces. I sometimes do some doctoring but because I was a bit intrepid, my sauces taste like what I feel, too. Thank you for giving some insightful advice!
working
Blogger Mom says:
8 months ago
Hi rmr...I never thought to add sauce to the meatball mixture - I bet that makes for a moister meatball? I'll have to give it a try. Thanks for the recipe!