Crock Pot Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 7 cups crushed tomato
- ⅓ cup onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tsps. dried basil
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- ½ tsp. pepper
- ½ tsp. salt
For the Meatballs:
- 1-pound ground beef
- 1-pound mild Italian sausage
- 1 cup bread crumb
- ⅓ cup onion, chopped
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 2 eggs
- 4 sticks mozzarella cheese, each stick cut into 4 to 5 even pieces
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- ½ cup parsley
For the Pasta:
- 16-ounces spaghetti
Instructions
To prepare the sauce:
- Combine all sauce ingredients in the crock pot and stir.
- Set to high and cover while making meatballs or for 30 minutes.
To prepare the meatballs:
- In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients, except the mozzarella; using your hands, mix until fully combined.
- Take a golf ball sized piece of the ground beef mixture and place a piece of mozzarella in the middle.
- Press meat around the piece of cheese, fully enclosing it; repeat until all meat is used.
- Place meatballs in the crock pot and submerge in sauce.
- Cover and cook on high for 2 – 2½ hours, or until meat is fully cooked.
- Serve over pasta.
To prepare the pasta:
- Prepare pasta per package directions; remove from stove top and drain.