Crock Pot Cheese Stuffed Meatballs

Hello blog world friends.  This recipe was submitted by my precious daughter-in-law, Silka.  She and my son are both full-time college students and take care of a busy 2 year old and they are both FABULOUS cooks.  They manage to take whatever is in the pantry and turn it into something amazing.  I though I would share this with you for those days when you want to enjoy a wonderful meal and not spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  Serve with a salad and some garlic bread.   YUM!  Hope you enjoy! 

Guest Blogger: Silka Manfredi

My husband and I are both full-time college students with a 2 yr. old, so time is extremely valuable to us. This often poses a problem when it comes to dinner time. Both of us love to cook, but with our schedules, there are a hundred more important things to do. I stumbled upon this crock pot recipe and thought it was just a great idea! It probably takes about 15 minutes of prep and about 10 minutes to brown the meatballs. Then, the rest of the work the crockpot takes care of!  (By the way, the recipe calls for fresh herbs, but I used dried because that was what I had on hand and it was GREAT!)

Crock Pot Cheese Stuffed Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef (*may use only ground beef if you want)
1 lb. ground pork
4 grated parmesan cheese
1 to 1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, divided into 12 pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
2 jars of your favorite red (Spaghetti/Marinara) sauce
2 pounds spaghetti, cooked al dente

*May substitute dried herbs and spices for fresh.

Directions:

1)  In a large mixing bowl combine ground beef, ground pork, parmesan, eggs, salt, pepper, garlic, basil, parsley and dried oregano.

2)   Add bread crumbs 1/2 cup at a time until mixture is not too wet and can be formed into balls easily.

3)  Form mixture into 12 balls using your thumb to press a hole in the center. Insert a piece of the fresh mozzarella into the hole and close the hole by pushing the meatball mixture around it to secure the mozzarella inside each ball. 

4)  Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and drizzle olive oil into it. Add meatballs and cook until just browned.

5)  Using a slotted spoon, transfer meatballs into a slow cooker.   Pour red sauce over the meatballs and cook on LOW for approximately 5 hours. Serve the stuffed meatballs and sauce over spaghetti.

Servings: 6 (2 meatballs per person)
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 5 hours