For the sauce: In a bowl, squish the tomatoes with your hands until all of the juices come out. Pour the tomato mixture into the crockpot pot with the beef broth, tomato paste, basil and bay leaf. Stir to combine.

For the meatballs: In a bowl, Mix the ground meats, italian breadcrumbs, milk, parmesan cheese, eggs, italian seasoning, fennel, and garlic powder together. Season with salt and pepper. Scoop out a generous spoonful of the meat mixture, about 1/4 cup, and form into 20-24 large meatballs.

In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Cook the meatballs just until browned on each side, about 1-1 1/2 minutes each. Don’t cook all the way through! Remove the meatballs from the pan, leave any oils in the pan, and reduce the heat to medium-low.

Arrange the meatballs around the crockpot into the tomato sauce.

In the same skillet, add in another 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the minced garlic and chopped onion. Cook and constantly stir until onion is translucent and the garlic is a golden yellow, about 2-3 minutes. Make sure it doesn't burn!

Remove from heat immediately and pour the contents into the crockpot on top of the meatballs. Do not worry about stirring.

Cover the pot with the lid and refrigerate overnight or place directly into the crockpot.

Serve on top of cooked pasta.