Photographer: Cath Muscat. Stylist: Kate Brown. Photochefs: Rebecca Lyall, Kerrie Worner.
This delicious slow cooked meatball pasta is made entirely in your slow cooker! While this meatballs recipe might take a few hours to cook, it requires little effort to prepare and uses ingredients from your pantry to make a hearty weeknight dinner.
This recipe is from our cookbook The Year Round Slow Cooker, available wherever good books are sold, RRP $39.99.
Love cooking with your slow cooker? Try one of our slow cooker soup recipes, or slow cooker desserts!
Ingredients
Method
Heat half the oil in a small frying pan over low-medium heat; cook eschalot and garlic for 5 minutes or until eschalot is soft. Transfer to a medium bowl and cool for 10 minutes.
Add pork, fennel seeds, parsley, breadcrumbs and egg to bowl with eschalot and garlic, then season; mix until well combined. Shape 2 tablespoons of pork mixture to make 16 meatballs.
Heat remaining oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Cook meatballs in batches, turning, for 10 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a plate.
Add verjuice to pan; stir to release any bits caught on the base of the pan. Transfer liquid to a 5-litre (20-cup) slow cooker. Add bay leaf, parmesan rind, 2 cups (500ml) water and meatballs. Cook, covered, on LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 2 hours.
Cook spaghetti following packet directions; reserve ½ cup (125ml) pasta water, then drain pasta.
Remove the bay leaf and parmesan rind from the cooker and discard. Add spaghetti and zoodles; toss gently to coat. Add a little reserved pasta water if needed. Season.
To serve, divide spaghetti, zoodles and meatballs among bowls; ladle over broth. Scatter with mint leaves and sprinkle with cracked pepper and grated parmesan. Finish with a drizzle of extra olive oil.
Can I freeze the slow cooked meatballs?
Yes, meatballs are suitable to freeze at the end of step 4.
