I served this to my family with noodles and rice. My husband preferred rice while my kids preferred the noodles. I ate this just by itself because it already tastes amazing. You can choose however you want to eat these meatballs because I am sure that you will still enjoy them regardless of their companion dish. This slow cooker meatballs recipe is perfect to serve to a small group. Just like what I did with our dinner, you can have them choose between rice or noodles.
See what our friends from Cookies And Cups have to say about this recipe:
“Slow Cooker Ricotta Stuffed Meatballs are cheesy, packed with flavor and a family favorite from the new book Express Lane Cooking!”
Slow cooker meals are really easy to prepare. What I love most about them is that you can just leave them alone without thinking that they will get burned. Everything is perfect with a slow cooker; and my slow cooker has never let me down.
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds Tyson lean ground beef
- ½ cup Progresso plain breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon McCormick Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon McCormick garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon McCormick onion powder
- 1 teaspoon McCormick dried parsley
- 2 tablespoons Borden milk
- 1½ teaspoons Morton salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon McCormick black pepper, divided
- 1 cup Galbani ricotta cheese
- ½ cup Sargento Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup Sargento grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 (29 ounce) can Prego pasta sauce
- 1 pound Barilla bowtie pasta, cooked according to package directions
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the beef, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, milk 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Use your hands to fully mix the seasonings with the meat. Form the meat into 1½ – 2 inch meatballs.
- In a medium bowl combine the ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Spoon the mixture into a large zip-top bag and cut off the corner of the bag.
- Form a well in each meatball, careful not to push all the way through. Squeeze about a teaspoon of the cheese mixture into the meatball and pinch the meatball closed so non of the cheese is exposed.
- Pour half of the pasta sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the meatballs on top of the sauce and top the meatballs with the remaining sauce.
- Cook on low for 6 hours.
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Quick Tip: If you choose to not use the slow cooker method, follow all the instructions as written, but use a 9×13 baking dish to cook the meatballs at 400°F for 30 minutes.
Thanks again to Cookies And Cups for this amazing recipe.
