Mozzarella Stuffed Meat Balls

1 lb ground beef
1 C breadcrumbs (panko or regular, Italian seasoned or plain)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp minced garlic (or 2 tsp garlic powder)
1 tsp onion powder
1 T Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3-4 mozzarella cheese sticks (string cheese)
marinara or alfredo sauce for dipping

Chop each cheese stick into half inch pieces (about 6 to 8 pieces for each cheese stick). Place on a plate and chill in the freezer until ready to use. Add ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg and egg yolk, garlic, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to a bowl. Mush the ingredients together with your hands until everything comes together. Remove cheese from freezer. Scoop out about four tablespoons of meat mixture and roll into a ball. Gently push a piece of chilled mozzarella into the middle of the meatball. Roll the ball in your hands to cover the hole where the mozzarella cheese was pushed in. Place inside a greased slow cooker and repeat with remaining meat and cheese. When all meatballs are in the slow cooker, cover and cook on high for one to two hours or on low three to four hours until meat is cooked through (no longer pink). The cheese may start melting out of the meatballs, that's okay. If desired, sprinkle with a bit of fresh chopped parsley or dried Italian seasoning for garnish. Serve with your favorite marinara or alfredo sauce for dipping.

*For a quicker method, the meatballs can be baked. Follow directions to make meatballs, but instead of placing in the slow cooker, place meatballs one inch apart on a greased baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until browned and cheese is melty.

*These can also be made ahead and frozen! Prepare the meatballs as instructed in the recipe but instead of putting them straight into the slow cooker (or the oven if baking), just place them side by side in a zip lock bag (you may need two), seal and place in the freezer. When ready to cook them, follow recipe instructions and increase cooking time slightly to allow for thawing.

*This recipe makes about a dozen large meatballs. This works great for an appetizer or side dish. If you want to use this for a main dish, I'd recommend doubling the recipe to be safe.