1 cup bread crumbs (panko or regular, Italian seasoned or plain)
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 tsp minced garlic (or 2 tsp garlic powder)
1 tsp onion powder
1 Tbs Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3-4 mozzarella cheese sticks (string cheese)
marinara or alfredo sauce, for dipping
Directions
SLOW COOKER METHOD
Chop each cheese stick into half inch pieces (about 6-8 pieces for each cheese stick). Place on a plate and chill in the freezer until ready to use.
Add ground beef, bread crumbs, egg and egg yolk, garlic, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to a bowl. Mash ingredients together with hands until everything comes together.
Remove cheese from freezer. Scoop out about 4 tablespoons of meat mixture and roll into a ball. Gently push a piece of chilled mozzarella into the middle of the meatball. Roll the ball in your hands to cover the hole where the mozzarella cheese was pushed in. Place inside a greased slow cooker and repeat with remaining meat and cheese.
When all meatballs are in slow cooker (*see note for alternate cooking method), cover and cook on high for 1-2 hours or on low 3-4 hours until meat it cooked through (no longer pink). The cheese may start melting out of the meatballs, that’s okay.
If desired, sprinkle with a bit of fresh chopped parsley or dried Italian seasoning for garnish and serve with your favorite marinara or alfredo sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
IF BAKING
Instead of placing in the slow cooker, place meatballs 1 inch apart on a greased baking sheet and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes until browned and cheese is “melty”
Ingredients
