Slow Cooker Cheese Stuffed Meatballs and Sauce
By Paula Deen
JUMP TO RECIPE
Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 20
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves finely minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 oz divided into 12 pieces fresh mozzarella
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 jars your favorite tomato sauce
- 2 lbs cooked al dente spaghetti
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, Parmesan, eggs, salt, pepper, garlic, basil, parsley and dried oregano. Add breadcrumbs 1/2 cup at a time until mixture is not to wet and can be formed into balls easily. 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.
Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and drizzle olive oil into it. Add meatballs and cook until just browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer meatballs into a slow cooker. Pour tomato sauce over the meatballs and cook on LOW for approximately 5 hours. Serve the stuffed meatballs and sauce over spaghetti.
