Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs

I made dinner. It was daylight so I quickly snapped some photos while my toddler sat there angrily smacking his lips at me.

Hi. This is my life.

My son is a hungry little hippo who insists upon eating any and all food he sees, especially meatballs because he loves them. So I decided speedy photos were better than none and took these because GOSH DARN IT I OWE YOU ALL A RECIPE. And it's a good one, guys. You're gonna love it.

They're yummy. They're flavorful. They're pretty darn easy (thanks to our lovely friend the slow cooker--I know pressure cookers are like the big thing but don't even talk to me about them because I am TERRIFIED of them so I'll just live with the sweet torture that is the low and slow cooking machine. Luckily-this recipe only cooks for like 2.5 hours!). The meatballs are super tender and delicious and the gravy is creamy and has sour cream in it so you know that equals pure YUM. Just serve them over mashed potatoes or egg noodles and enjoy pure comfort food.

Salisbury Steak Meatballs

It's official. It took awhile, but it happened. Winter struck. So now it's chilly and there is sometimes snow and there are really only 2 things to be happy about with this wintry turn of events: Christmas and comfort food. Rich...warm....satisfying comfort food. And I've already decorated for Christmas so...until the 25th....it's comfort food time. And these meatballs are TOTAL comforting deliciousness.

I'm not like a person who's into salisbury steak-it always seems like a gross cafeteria food that is shown on TV. BUT when I found this recipe for salisbury steak meatballs...they sounded pretty darn fantastic. With the exception of the fact that there were mushrooms in it and Michael and I don't dig the 'shrooms. So I changed up the recipe a smidgen by removing the mushrooms BUT to keep some of that flavor I used truffle oil. Which is one of my favoritest favorite things.

But forreals this recipe is pretty darn simple to make (there's even a slow cooker option, although I'm never patient enough for that), and it's quickly become a favorite of mine and Michael's. And considering how darned repetitive and boring my dinner options tend to get (picky eater alerrrrt), it's always nice to add something new to the lineup!

So essentially what we end up with are really rich and flavorful meatballs in a gravy-like sauce situation and I like to serve them over mashed potatoes/mashed sweet potatoes but you can also spoon them over some noodles or some such. You do you boo.

Ricotta Meatballs

I'm an Italian gal who loooves ricotta cheese. I LOVE IT! On pizza, in lasagna, even in gnocchi! My heart breaks for my poor brother-in-law and his wife: they moved to North Carolina this year (my sister-in-law, Emily, is attending grad school down there) and apparently they do not have much in the way of Italian food. Like...they don't carry ricotta in normal grocery stores. WHAT THE WHAT??! That's insane. And sad. I'm sure they both load up on the Italian food when they visit, though, but still...that'd be a tough one for me.

Soooo...when I saw the idea of putting ricotta in meatballs. Clearly, I was gonna have to try it. And I'm so glad I did! It's not like a totally revolutionary thing-it didn't make meatballs all of a sudden taste totally different! Buuuut...I definitely think it added a little extra somethin' to them, and they were super moist. Which I think is probably due to the ricotta? Regardless, I like 'em. You'll probably like 'em and....if you live in the South and have a hard time finding ricotta....oh man. I'm so sorry. Someone needs to like...write a letter about this. Because it's a real problem.

Or you could just make this meatball recipe.

But I still recommend you try this one.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

I have too many shaped pastas. I don't know how. I don't know why. All I know is I have penne and shells and whatnot for days-and no idea what to do with all of it.

So Michael promised me he'd eat penne with meat sauce. If there were meatballs.

Then all I had to do is mention the idea of mozzarella stuffed meatballs and that was it. Michael was all about it. They had to be made soon.

Fun fact about this recipe: it originally used ground turkey for the meatballs. Which you can absolutely do. However...we like our beef, so I subbed it in. But if red meat isn't your fave or if you're trying to stay a little leaner with the meat go to town with the turkey! Ironically Michael's favorite meatballs are his mom's...and I'm pretty sure she uses turkey. But for some reason hers are the only ones where it's ok with him, I guess?

I kinda want to make a meatball sub with these. I wouldn't even need to add any more cheese. All you need is the bread and some sauce and the meatballs....mmmm, sounds pretty good methinks!

Oh and when you make the meatballs, don't be alarmed if some cheese goes rogue and just oozes out of random places. Cheese is tricky like that. It's ok. It's part of its charm! We forgive you cheese, and we love you for you.

These meatballs are moist, flavorful, and bursting FULL of cheesiness!

If you want to get crazy authentic you can attempt to stuff legit. mozzarella in these meatballs. I'm not sure what will happen, though. I can only attest to what goes down when you use string cheese, but far be it from me to curb your creativity!

"The" Meatballs

YOU GUYS!

I recently made the best meatballs (I think) that I've ever had! Certainly the best I've ever made!

Now, I'm not gonna call these "the best" in the title because...everyone has different preferences. Michael's favorite are his mom's. Some people like pork. Some, like me, prefer all beef meatballs. 

So, like I was saying-to me-these meatballs are the best. Michael REALLY liked them too (he didn't even bring up his mom's, which is a good sign). They have just the right amount of flavor and tenderness, and can be used pretty much any way you prefer to use meatballs. I'm currently obsessed with the idea of using these to make a meatball sub.

Truth be told? 

I liked these so much I ate them plain, with just a little bit of sauce. Because they are that good.