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Slow Cooker Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Growing up in an Italian family, the meatball recipe is a kind of prized possession and honestly, a family heirloom. My father’s meatballs are some of the best I’ve ever had, and while I’m extremely biased, I’m thankful to now have the recipe.

There are few things better than a good meatball covered in marinara sauce. Or at least that’s what I thought, until I tried these slow cooker mozzarella stuffed meatballs. Are we at all surprised that the only thing that could make a good meatball even better is stuffing it with mozzarella cheese?

This recipe makes about 32 mozzarella stuffed meatballs. Bake them for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. If you don’t plan on eating them right away, you can easily vacuum seal and save these meatballs for a quick meal later in the week. Once the meatballs cool, use your vacuum sealer to seal the meatballs and then throw them in your freezer.

For those hectic days, you’ll have meatballs ready to toss into the slow cooker for an easy, pre-prepped Italian meal. Just add your frozen meatballs to cold marinara sauce (either your favorite store-bought sauce or homemade that you’ve frozen and thawed) in the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2 ½ to 3 hours or on LOW for 5 to 6 hours. Once the meatballs are heated through, you are ready to serve.

Serve these over pasta with fresh basil and grated parmesan on top for a hearty dinner or make an over-the-top meatball sub and cover these mozzarella stuffed meatballs with even more mozzarella cheese and broil between a crunchy baguette. You could even put a toothpick in these and have a side of marinara as a flavorful game day appetizer. However you serve them, just make sure you leave room for seconds.

Slow Cooker Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Author: Hamilton Beach Test Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds ground beef
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 12 mozzarella string cheese sticks, cut into 4 pieces
  • Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce
  • Cooked pasta

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F
  2. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
  3. Divide mixture into 1/3 cup sizes and flatten each (about 32 meatballs). Place 1 piece of string cheese in the center of 1 and roll mixture around cheese, forming into a ball.
  4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes. Allow meatballs to cool, vaccum seal and freeze.

When ready to serve

  1. Add frozen meatballs to cold Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce. Cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or LOW 5 to 6 hours until meatballs are heated through.
  2. Serve over cooked pasta.

The NurtriFresh® Vacuum Sealer locks air out to keep freshness in.

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Comments

  1. Hi Lisa, that was our mistake. The recipe yields about 48 meatballs, hence the 48 cheese stick pieces! The recipe has been updated. Thanks for bringing that to our attention. Enjoy.

  2. I just made these and they smell awesome! Did you have trouble with the cheese oozing out of the meatballs as they cooked in the oven? Mine were fully enclosed and still lost quite a bit of cheese during baking. Thanks!

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