Ah, everyone’s comfort food. And a crock pot recipe, to boot!

This is perfect for winter, or summer when you want comfort food but don’t want to heat up the kitchen. OK, it’s perfect any time. I make an entire 6-quart crock full, and plan on having leftovers for a week. I usually make around a dozen meatballs and add 5 hot Italian sausages. We always say we’re going to make meatball or sausage sandwiches later in the week, but somehow we always just got back to pasta. Because mmmm, pasta.

Crock Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs (and Sausage)

For Meatballs:
1.5 lbs ground beef
1 small onion, grated
1 egg
1/2 c parmesan
1 t dried oregano
4 T fresh chopped parsley
2 slices white bread, soaked in milk

Sauce:
1 small onion, minced
half red bell pepper, finely chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c red wine
2 T dried oregano
1 T dried basil
1 T red pepper flakes
3 T tomato paste
3 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes, or whole tomatoes, crushed (I swear by Dei Fratelli brand crushed tomatoes, but whole canned san marzano’s are fabulous as well)

Additional ingredients:
1 lb hot Italian sausage (5 links)
hot cooked spaghetti
parmesan

1. Make the meat-a-balls. Combine everything but the beef in a bowl. Add the beef, and combine well. Salt liberally (if you’re unsure of the seasoning, you can cook a small amount of the mixture in a skillet before shaping the meatballs.) Shape the mixture into balls. I usually make them slightly bigger than golf balls, but size is up to you. Place on a baking sheet lined with silpat or foil, and bake at 450 F for about 20 minutes until browned. They do not need to be cooked all the way through.

2. While the meatballs are baking, sear the Italian sausages in a pan so the casings are brown and crisp, and put into the crock pot.

3. Make the sauce. In the same pan you browned the sausages in, add your onion, garlic and bell pepper. Saute for 5 minutes, then add tomato paste and stir until caramelized. Add wine and deglaze the pan. Add spices and reduce the mixture until there is almost no liquid left. Add one can of tomatoes, bring to a simmer, then pour into the crock pot. Add the other two cans of tomatoes and stir to combine.

4. Place meatballs directly from oven into crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours. Serve over pasta with parmesan.

Yes, some of you may recognize this dish. It is a rip off of a California Pizza Kitchen dish. And it’s pretty good. Though, Nick didn’t like it much, because he’s got an issue with onion and bell pepper textures, and thought the flavors were too subtle. He likes flavors that hit you over the head. But don’t listen to him, it’s good.

Chicken Tequila Fettuccine

1 lb fettuccine
1/2 c chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large jalapeno, minced
1 c chicken stock
1/4 c gold tequila
juice of 1/2 lime
1 lb chicken breast
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 assorted bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 c heavy cream

1. Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Time is so it’s finished around the same time as the sauce.

2. Clean and chop chicken. Saute until browned and cooked through in a large skillet, about 6 minutes. Remove from pan.

3. Add  jalapeno and garlic to same pan, cook 2 minutes. Add bell peppers and red onion, saute for 2 minutes until veggies wilt slightly. Add tequila and deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits (fond). Add chicken stock, reserved chicken, and cream, and simmer until veggies are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Toss sauce with pasta, cilantro and lime juice before serving.