Crock-pot® meatballs are typically made by combining ground beef, eggs, and breadcrumbs together and then rolling them into balls. These meatballs might then be browned slightly in a skillet before placing them in a slow cooker. Barbeque, chili, or pasta sauce can sometimes be added to give this crock-pot® dish additional flavor. Some cooks prefer to use commercially frozen meatballs rather than making their own. This food can be served as an appetizer or a main dish along with spaghetti or ravioli.
When making crock-pot® meatballs, it is important to add just the right amount of eggs and bread crumbs to ground beef. The mixture should be firm, yet somewhat moist when all the ingredients have been added. Some cooks like to add powdered onion, salt, or pepper to the eggs and bread crumbs to give the finished product additional flavor.
If meatballs are placed in a slow cooker right after being mixed, they may become mushy while they are cooking. For this reason, crock-pot® meatballs are often browned slightly in a skillet before they are placed in the slow cooker. It is not necessary to cook them completely, but they should nonetheless be a golden brown color on the outside. Placing them in the refrigerator overnight and then using them to make a crock-pot® dinner can also ensure they hold their shape well after baking.
Crock-pot® meatballs can sometimes become dry unless some type of sauce is added to them. The type of sauce used can depend on how the meatballs are being served and individual taste. Pasta sauce can be a good choice if this dish will be eaten with spaghetti, but barbeque or chili sauce might be best if they are used as an appetizer. This food could also be drizzled with beef broth and then served over a bed of egg noodles, creating a meal in itself.
One of these slow cooker dishes does not need to be prepared from scratch, so cooks who are short on time may want to purchase meatballs from a supermarket. This type does not need to be browned first, and may require less time to completely cook. It is also acceptable to make meatballs from scratch and then freeze them so they can be part of a slow cooker meal later. No matter whether they are frozen or made from scratch, crock-pot® meatballs are an easy and versatile dish to prepare for nearly any occasion.
