Cheesy Slow Cooker Sausage Balls

Step 1

Serve them as appetizers: Toss some toothpicks next to a big platter of the meatballs and appetizers are done.Make a dinner out of them: Cook some spaghetti, stir in a few spoonfuls of marinara sauce from the slow cooker after the pasta is cooked, then serve the spaghetti with sausage balls and fresh parsley.Go for a hearty weekend lunch: Toss some of these sausage balls in a hoagie with provolone cheese for the best meatball sub!

Step 2

Make the sausage balls: In a medium bowl, mix together Italian sausage, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and kosher salt. Use your hands to mix the mixture really well so there are no huge chunks of cream cheese. Shape the mixture into tablespoon-sized balls. (Tip: it’s easier to make the balls if your hands are cold and wet!) Alternatively, use a small cookie scoop to create the meatballs. You should get around 30 balls out of the mixture. Put the meatballs on a plate. Nick Evans Nick Evans Brown the sausage balls: Add a small drizzle of oil to a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add a batch of sausage balls (about 12-14 balls, or as many as will fit in your skillet without crowding). Cook for 2-3 minutes, flipping once to get some browning on at least two sides. The sausage balls do not need to be completely cooked through. Repeat with the remaining sausage balls until all the balls have been browned. (It will probably take three batches to brown them all.) When finished, add the sausage balls to a slow cooker pot. Nick Evans Nick Evans Cook the sausage balls: When all the sausage balls are browned and in the slow cooker, gently stir in the marinara sauce (the sausage balls may be fragile) and cook on high heat for 2 hours or low heat for up to 8 hours. Serve finished sausage balls garnished with parsley and served with toothpicks as an appetizer or over pasta for a full meal. Nick Evans Leftovers keep fantastically in the fridge for 5-6 days. Reheat in a pot over low heat with a splash of water. You can also freeze the sausage balls in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.