Meatballs - a dish of minced meat, prepared in the form of balls. In different cuisines of the world, it exists under various names and in surprisingly different variations. And in Sweden, for example, it is considered one of the national dishes. Our compatriots also liked this simple dish. How to cook meatballs in a slow cooker without much hassle, you will learn from this article.
We prepare dishes and products
For the preparation of such a simple and tasty dish, the quality and functionality of the multicooker do not matter, you will still be able to cook meatballs. Usually you need to choose one of three modes:
- common
- multi-product
- quenching.
The temperature should be 100 degrees. On average, the timer is set for 40 minutes, however, this time may vary, depending on the products used for cooking.
For most meatball recipes in a slow cooker, this list of products is required:
- minced meat;
- groats (most commonly used buckwheat or rice);
- various vegetables (not used in all recipes);
- spice.
The main component of the dish is the sauce. It is thanks to him that the meatballs are very tender, juicy and aromatic. Most often it is prepared using tomatoes, but many hostesses have chosen a creamy dressing that can transform the taste of the dish. As a matter of fact, the taste of the finished dish depends on the taste of this component.
When stewing meatballs in a slow cooker, it is necessary to completely fill in the prepared dressing. If you do not do this manipulation, the finished dish will be dry.
Very often questions arise about the size of meatballs. They need to be made a little more than meatballs, but less than meatballs. The task is not very difficult, and you can cope with it easily. Before putting the meatballs in the multicooker bowl, you need to grease it with vegetable oil.
A few secrets of cooking meatballs from the best chefs
In any recipe there are certain secrets on which the quality and taste of the finished dish depend. Here are a few nuances that relate to meatballs:
- What oil to use for greasing the bowl of the multicooker? Experienced cooks prefer sunflower (1 tablespoon will be enough) or a slice of butter. Olive should not be used, as it will give the dish a not very pleasant aroma.
- When cooking white sauce, you need to add garlic to it, which was passed through a press. And you can make a fragrant tomato dressing, if a few minutes before being ready to throw chopped parsley into a slow cooker.
- If you use a mixture of pork and ground beef, then the meatballs will definitely turn out juicy, regardless of the type of sauce that was used. When using minced fish and chicken, it is recommended to add butter, cream or cream cheese to the dish to avoid dry meatballs.
Cooking meatballs with gravy
Very often this popular dish is cooked with gravy. And the slow cooker, it should be given its due, copes with the preparation of meatballs as well as possible. Typically, for cooking according to such recipes, a quenching mode is selected, in which cooking is slow, so the meatballs have time to soak perfectly in juices, while preserving all the useful properties.
Subject to the recipe, the calorie content of the dish will be 230 kcal (indicated per 100 grams).
The recipe for meatballs in a slow cooker with gravy involves the use of such ingredients for the meatballs themselves:
- 500 grams of fresh minced meat (usually they use minced meat from two types of meat - beef and pork);
- 0.5 multi-cup cereals (rice is used in this recipe);
- 1 small onion;
- 1 egg
- spices to taste (the classic recipe involves the use of salt and pepper only).
For gravy according to this recipe for meatballs in a slow cooker with gravy, you will need the following components:
- 2 cups of meat broth (as an alternative, you can use water, this will make the dish less greasy);
- 2 tbsp. l ketchup (tomato paste can be an alternative);
- 4 tbsp. l sour cream (do not use too fat sour cream, 10% will be enough);
- 2 tbsp. l flour;
- spices to taste.
Cooking meatballs with gravy: the main stages
Chives. Send it along with the prepared minced meat, rice and egg into a deep bowl. Season the dish with the necessary spices and mix thoroughly until smooth.
To make meatballs in a slow cooker with gravy, you need to form balls from the prepared rice-meat mixture and carefully lay them on the bottom of the slow cooker.
At this point, it's time to start making the sauce. In a separate bowl, all of the listed ingredients are mixed to make a pleasant homogeneous mass without lumps.
Fill meatballs with prepared gravy. In extinguishing mode, meat balls will be ready in 1 hour.
The signal will inform you about the readiness of meatballs in a slow cooker with gravy. Ideally, they are combined with vegetables (both cooked and raw) in a serving.
The easiest meatball recipe
A step-by-step recipe for meatballs with gravy in a slow cooker will allow even inexperienced cooks to prepare an incredibly tasty dish. The recipe below is good in that you don’t need to invent anything, just use the ready-made tips and stick to the steps indicated.
Such components will be needed:
- 200 grams of minced pork;
- 200 grams of minced beef;
- 2 carrots;
- 2 small onions;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 3 tbsp. l tomato paste (ketchup may be an alternative);
- 3 tbsp. l sour cream;
- spice.
You also need to prepare clean water and sunflower oil.
Stages of cooking meatballs according to the simplest recipe
This recipe for meatballs in a multicooker involves the following stages of cooking:
- The first step is to prepare the vegetables. To do this, they need to be cleaned, and then chop the onions rather finely, and grate the carrots. Half of these vegetables are intended for the meatballs themselves, and the second - for the sauce to them.
- Put the slow cooker on the "Frying" mode and grease the bottom of the bowl with oil. Fry a piece of onion with a carrot. Add the cooled mixture of vegetables to the minced meat and then season with spices. You can begin to sculpt medium-sized meatballs.
- Switch the multicooker to the "Extinguishing" mode. In this case, the timer must be set to 40 minutes. Lubricate the bowl of the device with oil and carefully lay the meatballs. Close the lid and cook for 5 minutes.
- During this time we will have time to prepare the sauce. For it, you need to combine the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
- The recipe for meatballs in a multicooker suggests that after 5 minutes of cooking, the sauce needs to fill in the meat balls (they must be completely covered), close the lid and cook the remaining 35 minutes.
Buckwheat meatballs in a slow cooker
Today it is impossible to surprise anyone with the preparation of meatballs from rice, but using buckwheat in such a dish is a rather unbanal decision. Especially a similar recipe will be useful to mothers who are already desperate to feed their children with healthy buckwheat. Believe me, in the form of delicious meatballs, buckwheat will go away just like that, because it simply will not work to recognize an unloved porridge in your favorite dish.
The following ingredients will be required:
- 300 grams of minced beef;
- 50 grams of buckwheat (the volume is indicated for cereals in raw form);
- 1 small onion;
- vegetables (1 bell pepper, carrot and tomato);
- 2 tbsp. l tomato paste;
- 3 tbsp. l sour cream;
- water (used for sauce);
- spice.
Making buckwheat meatballs: step-by-step instructions
A step-by-step recipe for meatballs in a multicooker involves the following stages of cooking:
- Prepare buckwheat for use (it is necessary that it does not have black grains, and also it must be well washed). Boil the grits. But no need to digest, it is necessary that it be a little undercooked. It will be enough for 6 minutes to boil it after the water has boiled, and then remove from heat. Cool the porridge.
- Chop the peeled onion from the husk, and then fry in the "Frying" mode (before this, lubricate the bottom of the multicooker with a small amount of oil). Cool the onions as well.
- In a separate bowl, mix buckwheat porridge, onions and minced meat, add spices to them. From the resulting mass, you need to fashion medium-sized meat balls that are laid out on the bottom of the greased multicooker bowl. Set the "Extinguishing" mode and close the lid, leaving the meatballs to cook for 5 minutes. In this case, the timer should be set to 40 minutes.
- This time can be used to prepare dressing for meatballs. Grind the washed vegetables in a blender, and then add the remaining ingredients to them. After 5 minutes, pour meatballs with the prepared sauce. Cook before the multicooker signal.
Meatballs with white sauce
Sausages in a saucepan in a slow cooker is an incredibly tasty dish that is actively used in the diet of many families. However, tomato sauces are traditionally used. And only the efforts of the French allowed the use of white sauce, which is now increasingly chosen by domestic hostesses. With this sauce you can perfectly complement the dish, as well as make it tender and juicy. Cream is its base, and any spices and vegetables can be used as a complement to it.
To cook meatballs with rice in a slow cooker in a delicate white sauce, you need to prepare the following ingredients:
- 200 grams of minced pork;
- 200 grams of minced chicken;
- 50 grams of rice (volume indicated for dry cereals);
- 300 grams of cream (you don’t need to use too fat cream, for this recipe 10-15% by fat content is perfect);
- 1 medium carrot;
- 1 small onion;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- spice.
Cooking meatballs with white sauce
Meatballs with rice in a slow cooker are prepared taking into account the following stages:
- Rinse the rice groats thoroughly under running water, and then cook until half cooked. Cool the porridge. For any meatballs recipe, you do not need to cook the grits until fully prepared, since they will still be cooked in a slow cooker.
- For meatballs in a slow cooker, mix chicken and pork mince, and then add rice and spices to them. Fashion small meat balls from the resulting mixture and send them to the slow cooker. Before that, the bottom of the bowl should be greased with butter (used creamy or vegetable). To cook, set the "Extinguishing" mode by setting the timer for 40 minutes.
- To prepare the sauce for meatballs in a slow cooker, you need to mix all the remaining ingredients (vegetables are very finely chopped beforehand, and you can even grate carrots). As soon as 5 minutes have passed after the start of cooking the meatballs, they need to be poured with sauce and closed again with the lid until the timer indicates the readiness of the dish.
Meatballs in a slow cooker are a simple and tasty dish that is actively used not only in the usual diet. After all, it is also quite often used in a children's or diet menu.