Meatballs stuffed with Fresh Mozzarella (Crockpot)

My sister-in-law, Judy,  told me about this really good meatball recipe.  It originated from a Paula Dean recipe found here (Slow Cooker Cheese Stuffed Meatballs and Sauce).  The Change Judy made was to use  ground turkey instead of the ground beef.  She also adds ground pork.  I halved the recipe using only ground turkey and the recipe made 19 meatballs.  Making the meatballs with turkey you don't have to brown the meatballs first, just put them in the crock pot with the sauce and they cook up moist and tender.  Make sure you use fresh mozzarella, it makes for a creamy center.  First night we had meatballs with spaghetti and then with the leftovers we made meatball subs.  I'm not big on leftovers but I looked forward to these!

Ingredients:

1 pkg (1 lb). ground turkey (use lean not extra lean)
4 tablespoons fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cups Italian dry bread crumbs
1 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped or 1/2 teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, divided into 16-19 pieces
2 jars of your favorite red sauce
                                                          

Directions

In a large mixing bowl combine ground turkey, parmesan, bread crumbs, eggs, salt, pepper, garlic, basil, parsley and dried oregano. Form mixture into 16-19 balls using your thumb to press a hole in the center. Insert a piece of the fresh mozzarella into the hole and close the hole by pushing the meatball mixture around it to secure the mozzarella inside each ball. (I like to use an ice cream scoop to make meatballs)  Transfer meatballs into a slow cooker. Pour red sauce over the meatballs and cook on LOW for approximately 5-6 hours. Serve the stuffed meatballs and sauce over spaghetti.

Makes 16-18 meatballs.  I like them on the smaller size so they fit a bun for meatball sandwiches.