I served this to my family with noodles and rice. My husband preferred rice while my kids preferred the noodles. I ate this just by itself because it already tastes amazing. You can choose however you want to eat these meatballs because I am sure that you will still enjoy them regardless of their companion dish. This slow cooker meatballs recipe is perfect to serve to a small group. Just like what I did with our dinner, you can have them choose between rice or noodles.
Slow cooker meals are really easy to prepare. What I love most about them is that you can just leave them alone without thinking that they will get burned. Everything is perfect with a slow cooker; and my slow cooker has never let me down.
Ingredients
1½ pounds Tyson lean ground beef
½ cup Progresso plain breadcrumbs
½ teaspoon McCormick garlic powder
½ teaspoon McCormick onion powder
1 teaspoon McCormick Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon McCormick dried parsley
2 tablespoons Borden milk
1½ teaspoons Morton salt, divided
1 teaspoon McCormick black pepper, divided
½ cup Sargento Parmesan cheese
1 cup Galbani ricotta cheese
½ cup Sargento grated mozzarella cheese
1 (29 ounce) can Prego pasta sauce (or homemade)
1 pound Barilla bowtie pasta, cooked according to package directions
Instructions
Combine the meat, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, milk 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl. Using your hands, mix the seasonings with the beef until fully incorporated. Form the meat into 1½ – 2 inch meatballs.
In another bowl combine the ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Mix.
Spoon the mixture into a large resealable bag and cut off the corner of the bag.
Form a well in each meatball, careful not to push all the way through. Squeeze about 1 tsp of the cheese filling into the meatball and pinch the meatball closed so none of the cheese is exposed.
Pour 1/2 the pasta sauce in the bottom of the crock pot. Place the meatballs on top of the sauce and top the meatballs with the remaining sauce.
Cook on low for 6 hours.
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Quick Tip: If you choose to not use the slow cooker method, follow all the instructions as written, but use a 9×13 baking dish to cook the meatballs at 400°F for 30 minutes.