Raise your hand if you break from tradition for Christmas dinner? My family does. We forgo the turkey and the ham, and in place of it, we do a pitch-in appetizer dinner. It. Is. Awesome.
We’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember, and as the years have gone by, some dishes have become tradition to have in our spread. My parents always make stuffed mushrooms and peel-and-eat shrimp. I always make my mini Christmas quiche (they’re vegetarian, which my veggie brother and sister-in-law appreciate). And in the past few years, I’ve also been making meaaattttballlllllsssss (which my veggie brother and sister-in-law, obviously, don’t appreciate as much). Cocktail meatballs feel like an appetizer from another era, but I’m officially calling it—meatballs are totally hip again. So tasty! So easy! So crowd-pleasing!
A few weeks back, my friends at Crock-Pot® brand sent me their latest creation—their Swing and Serve Slow Cooker—and the second I saw this sucker, I knew it was time to expand my meatball repertoire.
This bad mammajamma has THREE crocks that you can control separately, all contained in the same amount of counter space as a regular slow cooker. If this baby doesn’t scream “HOLIDAY PARTY!,” I don’t know what does!
I love using a slow cooker for holiday cooking. The holidays are stressful enough, so using a slow cooker to help you out is a no-brainer. I always put my Christmas meatballs into my slow cooker to keep them warm and delicious while we celebrate, and now that I have three separate crocks, I have space for three different flavors.
You can make all three of these if you really want to knock the socks off your holiday guests, or you can just make one flavor! These meatball recipes aren’t just for cocktail parties either. The Mozzarella-Stuffed Italian Meatballs are perfecto on top of spaghetti. The Sticky Thai Meatballs are wonderful served on a big pile of fluffy rice. And we eat the Sweet and Sour Meatballs as a main dinner dish sometimes. Yum! Let’s dig into each one.
These meatballs are packed with Italian flavor and stuffed with ooey, gooey mozzarella cheese. Serve them with your favorite marinara sauce.
Mozzarella Stuffed Italian Meatballs
These meatballs are packed with Italian flavor and stuffed with ooey, gooey mozzarella cheese. Serve them with your favorite marinara sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 4 sticks mozzarella string cheese, cut into 1/4" slices
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- Parmesan and minced parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- In a large bowl, combine the Italian sausage, ground beef, salt, cheese, eggs, Italian seasoning, and breadcrumbs. Mix well (your best bet is to use clean hands).
- Grab a couple of tablespoons of the mixture and form into a ball around one of the slices of string cheese. Roll into a ball.
- Place on a large baking sheet. Repeat with remaining meat and cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the meatballs are brown and cooked through.
- Serve immediately with marinara sauce, or pour marinara sauce into the slow cooker with the cooked meatballs, and keep on warm until ready to serve. Top with more Parm and parsley before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 2 meatballsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 193Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 518mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 12g
At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Spicy Sticky Thai Meatballs
Pick just one flavor to serve this holiday season, or go all out and make all three using your Crock-Pot® Swing and Serve slow cooker. Wholefully readers get an extra 25% off of select Crock-Pot® slow cookers through this link! That’s such a great holiday steal!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Crock-Pot® brand. All opinions are entirely my own. Don’t forget to visit the Crock-Pot® brand website to see all of their delicious slow cooker recipes!
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