Crock Pot Meatballs in Peanut Chili Sauce

I am ashamed to say that, in the two years I have owned my crock pot, I have used it maybe a total of five times. I don't know why I haven't used it more considering that it makes for super easy dinners that basically cook themselves. But I just never knew many crock pot recipes. My mom used hers often, so I can't blame it on my parents. Since it was just a matter of filling the crock pot with ingredients and turning it on, I never paid any attention to it. Luckily my husband has a co-worker who is an uprising crock pot king who is an excellent source for delicious crock pot recipes.

One night, I joined my husband at his work for game night.--Since they spend their days testing video games, they like to get together from time to time and play good old fashioned board games.--Like usual, it was done potluck style with a nice sampling of different dishes. But the one that stood out the most was the crock pot of meatballs! It was a delicious steaming mound of juicy meatballs swimming in a creamy pool of peanut chili sauce. The aroma was slightly sweet and spicy, putting all the other neighboring dishes to shame. There was enough for everyone to have two or three meatballs but, honestly, it was hard not to hog them all! Ever since, I've been dying to try out the recipe. Luckily my husband's co-worker was more than willing to share his resources and gave me the link to the website where he first found the recipe.

The original recipe came from: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2010/03/slow-cooker-meatballs-in-peanut-curry.html The following is my own adaptation of the recipe. Not only was this extremely easy to make, but it goes great on rice or just as is. We ate it without rice, but we used some leftover naan bread to soak up the extra sauce. It was delicious!

Meatballs in Peanut Chili Sauce

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 cup canned coconut milk (If using regular, shake well and include the cream on top)
2 tablespoon red chili paste (I used Sriracha)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
1/2 of a large red bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups of shredded spinach
20 cooked meatballs (I made some fresh meatballs but frozen ones work just fine. You can also use meatless meatballs for a vegetarian option.)

Mix peanut butter and coconut milk into the crock pot. Add in the red chili paste, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir as well as you can to combine---it won't be perfect because the peanut butter will still be clumpy. Add in the meatballs (frozen is fine), stirring gently to coat the meatballs in the sauce. Mix in bell pepper and spinach.

Cook on low-medium for 4-6 hours, or until peanut butter mixture is fully melted and the meatballs are heated throughout. Stir on occasion to make sure the meatballs are being evenly coated.

Serve hot as an appetizer or as a meal with rice or bread.