‘Tis the season…

This time of year makes me think slow cooker; hearty, comforting meals that you eat on the couch wearing your sweats and slippers.

I love the idea of the slow cooker. Throw everything in, turn it on, and forget about it until the smell of pot roast is wafting through the kitchen and it’s time to eat. I understand that the very point of the slow cooker is to be able to turn it on and leave it. But sometimes (maybe always) I get nervous about our house burning down. I am that person that checks the knobs on the stove before I leave the house for fear that I will come home to either the pets being gassed to death or to a pile of ashes. Is this rational? Probably not. Okay…not at all. Does that stop me from thinking it? Nope.

So as much as I love the slow cooker, I cannot get away from that image of it bursting into flames on the counter. Needless to say, I am incapable of leaving the house with it on. That means shorter slow cooker recipes are my friend. This way I’m not chained to the house for 10 hours while dinner cooks.

Slow Cooker Turkey Meatballs

Makes 20 meatballs

Sauce:

2 15 ounce cans tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups red wine

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon chopped thyme

a few dashes of hot sauce (to taste)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Meatballs:

1 1/4 pounds ground turkey

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated yellow onion

1 clove of garlic, minced

dash of Worcestershire sauce

1/2 chopped thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Combine all sauce ingredients in the slow cooker.

Combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Form into golf ball sized meatballs. Put the meatballs into the sauce in the slow cooker. (They should be almost completely covered with the sauce.) Turn slow cooker on high. Meatballs will be done in about 2 hours 30 minutes.

(This makes a fairly thin sauce. If you like a thicker sauce, you could reduce it in a pot on the stove after the meatballs are removed.)

Serve over pasta or rice.

These meatballs are fluffy and light; not at all heavy. The flavors of the sauce combine perfectly with the meatballs for a very tasty bite. Thyme, parmesan, Worcestershire sauce, tomato and red wine all come through.

We ate the meatballs over pasta tossed with a little heavy cream, gruyere and parmesan cheeses. The next night for leftovers we ate them over white rice. The verdict was a split decision: I preferred the meatballs with the pasta and Andy favored the rice. Both are delicious.

With this recipe, you get all the convenience of the slow cooker, but in only two and a half hours you’re sitting on the couch, cozily eating a plate of comfort food. 

Maybe I'd better go check the stove one more time…

(I want to thank Gina @ What’s For Dinner Across State Lines and Kristy @ My Little Space for the recent awards passed on to me. Also, a big thanks to Christiane @ The Mom Chef for the award and an even bigger apology for forgetting to mention it day after day!)