I love comfort food, and to me, there is nothing more comforting than pasta and meatballs. It's just such a homey food that nearly everyone enjoys. So I am always on the search for the perfect meatball. I don't like them hard, like a hamburger, I prefer them to be moist and tender and melt in your mouth - and today, I think I found my perfect meatball! And good things are meant to be shared, so here we go :)
Cheesy Italian Crock-pot Meatballs
- 1 1/2 lbs of a beef, pork, and veal mix (it comes pre-mixed at my grocery store in the meat section)
- 1 cup of steel cut oats
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup Ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- A handful of basil leaves minced (or 1 tablespoon dried)
- 3 sprigs of thyme minced (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 Tablespoons mustard
- A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- Black pepper to taste
- Kosher salt to taste (I suggest around 1 tbspn, give or take)
Pre-heat the oven to 375
In a small bowl pour milk over the steel cut oats - they should be entirely saturated, add more milk if necessary - and let it sit and soak while you complete the next steps.
In a larger bowl mix the meat with all other ingredients
After the oats are saturated, mix in with the meat mixture - incorporate very well.
Rub a baking sheet with a tiny bit of oil, form your meatballs, and bake for about 15 minutes
Meanwhile, add the sauce of your choosing (homemade, store bought, whatever. The meatballs are going to flavor the sauce) into your crock pot. I use'd Mid's sauce, and needed 3 jars or 3 quarts.
Remove meatballs from the oven and transfer from the sheet to the crock pot with a slotted spatula and mix the sauce so that all of the meatballs are completely submerged/covered with the sauce. Cover and let cook on high for 5 hours or on low for longer.
Serve over pasta with garlic bread! Mmm enjoy!
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