awesome slow cooker italian meatball appetizers

How To Make awesome slow cooker italian meatball appetizers

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  1

  THE MARINARA
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  2

  Gather your ingredients.
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  3

  Add the oil to a saucepan over medium heat.
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  4

  When the oil begins to shimmer, then add the onions, and garlic.
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  5

  Sauté until the onions begin to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.
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  6

  Add the shredded carrots, and continue to sauté for 3 to 5 minutes.
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  7

  Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, lemon zest, and beef stock, and then allow the ingredients to lightly simmer for 15 minutes.
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  8

  Chef’s Tip: At this time, season with the cayenne, kosher salt, and black pepper.
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  9

  Chef’s Note: This type of sauce typically requires a good amount of salt to bring out the flavors of the tomatoes; however, go carefully. This sauce will be in a slow cooker for 4 hours, and things have a tendency to get a bit concentrated over that long of a cooking time. Repeat after me: Season and Taste… Season and Taste.
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  10

  After 15 minutes of simmering, remove from the heat, cover, and reserve.
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  11

  Chef’s Note: To puree or not to puree… that is the question. By definition a typical marinara sauce is smooth; however, I like the levels of flavor you get when you leave the carrots, and onions as they are… So, for this particular recipe, I don’t puree the sauce.
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  12

  Chef’s Note: As the sauce is simmering, you can get a head start on the meatballs.
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  13

  THE MEATBALLS
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  Chef’s Note: I call this a meatball starter recipe. From this base you can come up with all kinds of ideas. 1. Make them a bit larger (1.5 inches/3.8cm), and serve them over pasta, and you have Spaghetti and Meatballs. 2. Make them the same size as the recipe calls for, place them on a small bun, and you have Meatball Sliders. 3. Make them a bit larger (1.5 inches/3.8cm), and place them and the sauce in a sliced hoagie, and you have a Classic Italian Meatball Sub.
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  15

  Gather your ingredients.
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  16

  Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl, and mix thoroughly.
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  17

  Add the remainder of the ingredients.
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  18

  Use your hands to combine the ingredients.
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  Make meatballs using 1 ounce of mixture, and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
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  20

  Chef’s Tip: 1 ounce of mixture is equal to a slightly rounded tablespoon.
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  Chef’s Note: They should measure about 1 inch/2.5cm in diameter.
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  22

  Place a rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 420f (215c).
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  23

  Place the meatballs in the oven, and cook for 12 minutes.
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  24

  Chef’s Note: They won’t be fully cooked, but baking in the oven helped to firm them up a bit, and we rendered out some of that nasty fat.
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  25

  When they are cool enough to handle place them on the bottom of a slow cooker.
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  Pour the marinara sauce over the top; making sure that they are completely covered.
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  Cook on low for 4 hours.
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  28

  Remove the meatballs from the slow cooker and reserve in a bowl.
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  29

  Add the lemon juice to the marinara sauce and stir to combine.
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  30

  Place some marinara in a small serving dish and add a meatball.
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  Chef's Note: Repeat for the others.
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  32

  Serve while still nice and warm. Enjoy.
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  33

  Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
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