If you want to save yourself some time you could make the sauce mixture ahead of time, whisking well, and store in a plastic storage container to be poured
over the meatballs right before turning on the slow cooker.
But for special dishes, like today's ricotta
meatball soup, it's so worth it to make them by hand, incorporating all the seasonings that go so well in beef and pork sausage
meatballs, plus a generous dose of ricotta cheese that takes the whole batch
right over the top.