crock pot turkey meatballs in italian sauce

Err...  More recipes.  I don't have a whole lot of other meaningful content prepared right now :o).  But I hope all of you lovelies had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Christopher's aunt made an extremely delicious sweet potato casserole and now I should probably spend the rest of the day in the gym... moving on...

A couple weeks ago (I think) I mentioned that we managed to get Ryann to eat the same meal as us.  Well, this is it.  Minus the noodles, she acted like the noodles were the most disgusting thing she has ever tasted.  Seriously, she was freaking out about the stupid noodles.  BUT, this kid has CHOWED DOWN on meatballs lately.  She loves them.

I think this is a very family friendly recipe.  It is pretty much spaghetti and meatballs.  I've added LOTS of bell peppers to the mix because that is the one vegetable I can guarentee Ryann will eat.  So pretty much every meal we've had lately includes bell peppers...  I'm sure you could make this even easier (I used frozen meatballs) by just using a store bought spaghetti sauce, but I prefer it this way.  Oh and this filled my little crock pot to the brim.  I really thought the thing might explode.  Use a slightly larger one :o).


Crock Pot Turkey Meatballs in Italian Sauce
adapted from Healthy Eating Simplified

Ingredients

• 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic  (we um, love garlic...)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 3 bell peppers, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped (sneaking in some more veggies)
• 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (28 ounce) bag frozen fully cooked turkey meatballs

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except meatballs in crock pot.  Stir well.
2. Add (still frozen) meatballs and stir in.
3. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours (I've never gone longer than 6.5 hrs).

I boiled about 2.5 cups of whole wheat pasta to serve with this.

Enjoy!