Pesto Meatballs and Marinara

---

Makes 4 meatballs and 2 cups sauce; enough for 6 ounces pasta

Cooking Time 3 to 4 hours on Low

Slow Cooker Size 3½ to 7 Quarts

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: To streamline our meatballs and marinara for two, we cut back on the prep but amped up the flavor by adding store-bought pesto. The pesto offered big garlic and herb notes to the meatballs—no chopping needed—and ensured that they were moist. Using meatloaf mix (a combination of ground beef, veal, and pork) kept shopping easy, and a bit of panko helped hold the mixture together. Microwaving the meatballs briefly before placing them in the slow cooker helped to get rid of excess fat and firmed them up. For an effortless but flavor-packed sauce, we reached for the duo of tomato puree and tomato paste; the puree ensured that our sauce had the right consistency, and the paste offered depth and intensity. A bit of sugar balanced the acidity of the sauce. A few spoonfuls of pesto stirred into our sauce at the end punched up its flavor and added freshness. Meatloaf mix is a prepackaged mix of ground beef, pork, and veal; if it’s unavailable, use 4 ounces each of ground pork and 85 percent lean ground beef. You can make your own pesto or use your favorite store-bought brand from the refrigerated section of the supermarket—they have a fresher flavor than the jarred pesto sold in the grocery aisles. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

8	ounces meatloaf mix
½	cup prepared basil pesto
¼	cup panko bread crumbs
2	tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
	Salt and pepper
1	(28-ounce) can tomato puree
1	tablespoon tomato paste
½	teaspoon sugar

1. Using hands, mix meatloaf mix, ¼ cup pesto, panko, Parmesan, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in bowl until uniform. Pinch off and roll mixture into 2-inch meatballs (about 4 meatballs total) and arrange on large plate. Microwave meatballs until fat renders and meatballs are firm, about 2 minutes.

2. Lightly spray inside of slow cooker with vegetable oil spray. Combine tomato puree, tomato paste, sugar, and ½ teaspoon pepper in prepared slow cooker. Transfer microwaved meatballs to slow cooker, discarding rendered fat. Cover and cook until meatballs are tender, 3 to 4 hours on low.

3. Using large spoon, skim excess fat from surface of sauce. Before serving, stir in remaining ¼ cup pesto and season with salt and pepper to taste.