Slow Cooker (Spaghetti and) Meatballs

We are on a bit of a meatball craze these days.  My daughter loves them, so that makes it especially motivating.   I have already posted a recipe for The Mighty Meatball, but I like to use those meatballs for everything but the traditional ‘spaghetti and meatball’; although, you could very easily use those that way too!  I actually got this recipe off of a page that I liked on Facebook, called Tasty.  It’s an ingenious site, with quick viewings of complete recipes.  I liked the slow cooker option to this recipe, since, if I can, I like to prepare more than one meal on a Sunday, and this recipe allows for that!

The first time I made this, I followed the recipe exactly.  Originally, it calls for hot Italian sausage and and square of mozzarella inside the meatball.  Personally, I didn’t notice the cheese at all, and my daughter really did notice the heat from the hot sausage.  So, the second time I made it, I eliminated both, and it was a hit!  It can’t get much easier than this guys.  Try this recipe!

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Slow Cooker (Spaghetti and) Meatballs

Sarah Nolan

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup bread crumbs plain or seasoned
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup parsley
  • Jarred Marinara Sauce good quality*

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl, blend all the ingredients together, except for the marinara sauce.
  • Form into golf sized (or smaller) balls.
  • Place a layer of meatballs on the bottom of your slow cooker, and drizzle with some of the marinara sauce.
  • Place another layer of meatballs.
  • Drizzle more marinara sauce.
  • Repeat until all meatballs are in the slow cooker.
  • Set slow cooker to high for 2 and a half hours.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

*I have found that I need more than 1 jar of marinara sauce. It's an easy add. Just judge from the amount of pasta you've made.
Adapted from Tasty
(Source: Adapted from Tasty)

Quick and Tasty Carbonara

I have tried many carbonara recipes over the years, as it’s one of my husband’s favorite comfort foods.  This recipe is my favorite of any I’ve tried, and it’s the quickest!  My daughter gobbled up her entire serving.  She told me that she likes this pasta as much as she likes cotton candy.  That’s saying something!

This past weekend, we had a lot of my family visiting, which was awesome, but we never got the chance to grocery shop for the week! Luckily, we had enough pantry items, that I managed to get our dinners done still.  Today, while I was at work, I was wracking my brain as to what I could make us for dinner.  I received my recipe of the day email from The Food Network, and that was my inspiration for dinner.  I had eggs, bacon, pasta, parmesan cheese, and parsley.  Thanks, Food Network!!

 

Quick and Tasty Carbonara

Sarah Nolan

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound spaghetti dry
  • 1/2 pound bacon organic, thick cut, cut into smalls strips
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 large eggs brought to room temp, cracked and whipped
  • 1 cup of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano plus more for serving
  • 1 bunch of parsley finely chopped
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat pan on medium to medium-high heat. Once hot, add bacon.
  • Drain off excess fat once cooked, except for 1 to 2 tablespoons.
  • At the same time, bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.
  • Once boiling, cook pasta to al dente in texture.
  • Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water for later use.
  • Combine the beaten eggs and cheese together and set aside.
  • Once bacon has cooked, and has been removed from the pan, toss in the minced garlic into the olive oil and bacon fat and stir continuously for about 1 minute.
  • Add your cooked pasta directly into the hot garlic oil mixture.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and add the egg/cheese mixture slowly, mixing constantly, to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
  • At this time, add in some of your reserved pasta water to help loosen up your sauce to the right consistency.
  • Season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
  • Add in your minced parsley.
  • Enjoy!!
(Source: Tyler Florence Carbonara)