Meatballs in the Slow Cooker

Meatballs that have been simmering all afternoon make wonderful mini subs.

Meatballs are the underappreciated element in many Italian dishes and menus. I consumed many a meatball sub in my youth and always wanted to bring that flavor home. Slow cooking provides a rich, flavorful sauce to go along with however you want to serve them.

Software

·         1.5 pounds of ground beef (85/15)

·         1 cup breadcrumbs (Italian style is best)

·         1 T. dried parsley

·         2 T. minced garlic

·         1 medium onion, chopped

·         1 egg, lightly beaten

·         28 oz. spaghetti sauce (homemade or jar doesn’t matter, but fra diavolo is best)

·         16 oz. crushed tomatoes

·         12 oz. tomato paste (if you prefer a thinner sauce (say, for pasta), use tomato puree)

Method

1.       Combine beef, breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic, onion and egg until well mixed. Form 16 meatballs from the mixture and set aside.

2.       In the slow cooker, mix spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, and paste. Place meatballs into sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours, gently stirring every couple of hours.

3.       Enjoy

Variants

These go great in a soft roll with a slice of provolone that gets melted under the broiler. Sure, you could just mix them in with your favorite pasta. Nothing wrong there, but eating them just by themselves seems like a decadent treat.