Crockpot Meatball Subs ****

It's been ages since I've made this one.  I love that you can put the meatballs in raw, though.  I try to keep homemade ones on hand, but I tend to fail at that (a lot!).  This is a good compromise for me.  I don't have a lot of time on my lunch breaks, so I rarely get a chance to put them in the frying pan first.  That would be my preference, of course, but you can't beat the ease of throwing them in raw.  It's perfect when you don't have much prep time.  I typically use Italian breadcrumbs, just to give it a little more flavor.  We also prefer provolone cheese.  So good.  I always sub ground turkey, just because it's our preference.  This time, I used Egg Beaters instead of the egg, though, and it didn't really "bind" the way it normally does.  I can't even explain it.  They held together well, but they were just kind of mushy, for lack of a better word.  Still fabulous, but they didn't have the firmness to them that they normally do.  Oh well.  It was still great.  The youngest (10) was actually asking to have it again the very next night, so that's always a good sign, lol.

CROCKPOT MEATBALL SUBS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Recipezaar.com)

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons finely chopped onions or 1/4-1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, grated
1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
6-8 sub rolls/hot dog buns
Mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded

Place first seven ingredients in large bowl with hands.
Shape into approximately 30 1-inch balls. Bake in an ungreased oblong pan (13x9x2) in a 400*F oven until light brown, 20-25 minutes. OR: microwave meatballs in an ungreased baking dish, 6 minutes on High, turning once. OR: cook over medium heat in frying pan, turning occasionally, until brown, about 20 minutes.
Place cooked meatballs and spaghetti sauce in crock pot. Cook on low for about 2 hours. If you cook longer, stir every hour or so. OR: Place raw meatballs in sauce in crockpot and cook for 8 hours on low.
Place meatballs and sauce in hot dog buns and top with mozzarella cheese.
** Amy’s notes: I used Italian breadcrumbs and 1/4 tsp onion powder.

Previous Posts:
6/6/11 ~ I am so glad to be back on the cooking wagon!  May is a crazy month for us, with all the end-of-year school activities and baseball with both kids.  I dearly love baseball season, but I am so proud to have a break from all the running!  For at least 4 weeks there, we didn't have one single night to be lazy.  Whew!  Then add in the fact that my oven has been broken for about a month and a half now (again, no time to go get a new one and have it installed - grr), and I haven't cooked much at all.
These are so good.  Not to mention that they're so stinking easy!  I used provolone cheese on ours instead of the mozzarella, but I've always used the mozzarella in the past.  I think we prefer the provolone, but both are yummy.  The kids ate every bite.  My 5-year-old hates bread (I know - how could he possibly be my child???), but this is filling enough for him to just eat the meatballs with cheese on them.  I always use ground turkey, and it's never been a problem.  This time, I used meatballs that I'd frozen from the last time.  I just dumped them in the crockpot with the sauce for 6 hours on low.  Dh is already looking forward to tomorrow's leftover lunch!