We’ve been making spaghetti and meatballs for years now – but typically we like to make it a super easy dish. We’re all about quick and easy in our household. Grab some boxed pasta, jarred sauce, and frozen meatballs, and call it a day. Typically, it’s something we throw together on the go.
But recently, we made the decision to make some home made meatballs to go with our spaghetti. WOW. We’ll never buy the frozen stuff again.
They were so tender, so delicious, and packed with flavor. And surprisingly… they weren’t as much work as we thought they would be.
It’s kind of gross rolling them up into balls with your hands, but if you can get past getting a little messy, it’s so worth it. We stuffed ours with cheese – and while I didn’t take any pictures of them cut in half with the cheese oozing out, you’ll be pleased with the wow factor. It takes a little extra work to stuff them, but you won’t regret it.
If you don’t want the extra cheese, this recipe still works great without the extra mozzarella.
Remember that it’s super important to have all of the meatballs the same size, so that they cook in the same amount of time. Let’s get started!
Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
These stuffed meatballs go so well with spaghetti sauce and noodles. They’re quick, easy, and packed with flavor.
Ingredients
-
1/2
pound
ground Italian Sausage -
1/2
pound
ground beef
80/20 ratio -
1/4
cup
panko bread crumbs -
1
tbsp
red pepper flakes -
1
tsp
garlic powder -
1
tsp
oregano -
2
tbsp
grated parmesan cheese -
1/2
cup
shredded mozzarella cheese
divided in half -
1
egg -
1
jar
pasta sauce
(or your fave recipe) -
1
tbsp
olive oil
Instructions
-
Begin by combining meat, spices, egg, parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and half of the mozzarella cheese into a bowl. Begin mixing it well with your hands.
-
Take out a long sheet of parchment paper. These is where you’re going to put your meatballs before you cook them.
-
Take a small handful of the meat and smash into a small patty. Take a little bit of the mozzarella cheese and put it in the middle. Fold the patty in half, pinch along the edges, and then roll into a perfect ball. Make sure there are no gaps where the cheese could ooze out.
-
Do this with the remaining meatballs.
-
In a large pan, begin heating olive oil over medium heat.
-
Add meatballs in small batches and brown both sides of them. You do not need to cook them all the way through.
-
Put meatballs aside as you cook them.
-
Once all of the meatballs are done, begin heating pasta sauce in a pot. Once it as at a slow simmer, add meatballs and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the meatballs are at an internal temp of 165 degrees F.
-
Serve over pasta and enjoy!
