Slow Cooker Meatballs with Pasta

My sister asked me for a homemade sauce recipe and our dad's meatball recipe I decided to kill two birds with one stone.  I don't really make homemade sauce because it takes too long when you are making a meal where it is just one element of many.  My sister also wanted more slow cooker ideas for days she has to work.  Hence slow cooker meatballs with homemade sauce was born.  I read a few things about issues that other people had with the meatballs being dry or tough, so I decided to add mozzarella for additional moisture and do a quick oven fry to lock in the juices.  The meatballs were tender and moist.  Prep in the morning took exactly 30 minutes.  You could but that down by pre-measuring the dry ingredients for the meatballs and cutting the vegetables for the sauce the night before.  When I got home, I made some garlic knots, boiled some pasta and put together a salad. Dinner was on the table in 20 minutes!

Ingredients:

For Meatballs

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup of panko or other breadcrumb
1/4 cup of grated parmesan
1 egg
1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp of onion powder
Canola Oil for the baking sheet
Spray Olive Oil

For Sauce
1 onion, minced
3 stalks of celery, minced
20 baby carrots, minced (or 2 large whole)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
52 oz (two boxes) of strained tomatoes
1/2 cup of water
1 tsp of salt
Pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
Olive Oil
Pasta shape of your choice

Pre heat the oven to 425 and oil a baking sheet. Add all of the meatball ingredients to a bowl and mix with your hands until everything is well incorporated.  Roll mixture lightly into 15 meatballs and place on the oiled baking sheet.  Spray the top of the meatballs generously with the spray olive oil.  Place the meatballs in tot the oven to "fry" for 20 minutes.

In a large saute pan, heat a small amount of olive oil over medium heat.  Add in the the onions, celery and carrots and sauté, stirring for 5 minutes.  Next add in the garlic and sauté for 3 more minutes until all vegetables are softened.  Place the vegetables into the bottom of the slow cooker.  Add in the strained tomatoes and use the water to get any remaining tomato residue out of the containers.  Season with the salt pepper and bay leaf and stir.  Gently place in the meatballs onto the top of the sauce, allowing to float evenly spaced.  Do not submerge.  Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the top. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Serve with your favorite pasta.