Mozzarella stuffed meatballs in a rich, tomato sauce. This recipe is incredibly easy and absolutely delicious! Juicy beef meatballs stuffed with oozing mozzarella cheese and cooked in the easiest tomato sauce. Serve your meatballs with spaghetti for a classic comfort food dish or serve with potato wedges and salad.
Because you can’t say no to mozzarella stuffed meatballs…
Hey everyone, I’m Emily from Inside The Rustic Kitchen and I’m so excited to be a contributor for The Salty Marshmallow. I have my own food blog dedicated to my love and passion for Italian food, you’ll find traditional recipes as well as my take on all the delicious classics and it’s all coming to you direct from my Tuscan kitchen in Italy.
So let’s dive right into today’s incredible recipe…mozzarella stuffed meatballs!
You may or may not be aware that spaghetti and meatballs is not actually an Italian dish. Come to Italy and you will not find it on any restaurant menu…anywhere! They do love their meatballs and spaghetti, just not together. Meatballs are served as a second course (after the pasta) and are usually eaten just as they are or with creamy polenta or grilled veg.
That being said, we are much more accustomed to pasta being served as a main course so I think they can forgive us for loving our meatballs with a little spaghetti, right? Glad we agree!
Tips For Making The Perfect Meatball
- For these meatballs, I use a mixture of ground beef and Italian sausage. Italian sausages are packed with so much flavour and because pork is a fattier meat then beef it keeps the meatballs succulent and juicy. No dry meatballs here!
- I also add some dried spices, garlic and an egg. There are no breadcrumbs in this recipe because the sausage and egg help bind everything together.
- When rolling a meatball, roll it in the palm of your hands until it has a glossy sheen to it with no cracks. This will ensure the meatball is sealed completely and won’t break up in the pan.
How To Make Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs – Step By Step
Add all the meatball ingredients in a large mixing bowl apart from the mozzarella. Using your hands mix everything together without squeezing too tightly.
Once everything is combined thoroughly shape a rough meatball using the palm of your hands. Once you have a meatball shape, make an indent in the middle of the ball using your finger. Place a cube of mozzarella in the hole and seal it back up. Roll the meatball between the palms of your hands again until shiny and smooth.
Repeat until the meat has been used up (you should have 12 large meatballs). Place them in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up.
Add a small amount of olive oil to a large pan and brown the meatballs on all sides. They should have a nice, crispy coating on the outside. Remove them from the pan and set aside on a plate.
Next, make the sauce, add the canned, peeled plum tomatoes to a blender and blitz until smooth. Add the chopped garlic to the same pan you cooked the meatballs in and saute for a few seconds then add the tomatoes.
Add sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to the sauce and let it simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes. Add the meatballs and simmer for another 30 minutes.
Serve the meatballs with your favourite pasta or with potato wedges and salad, so yummy! P.S look at that oozy mozzarella!!
More Easy Pasta Recipes To Try;
More Easy Pasta Recipes To Try;- Smoked salmon carbonara
- One pan macaroni lasagna
- Spinach and ricotta cannelloni
- Instant pot mac and cheese
I hope you love these mozzarella stuffed meatballs as much as I do and don’t forget to stop by my blog to say ciao! Enjoy.
Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
Ingredients
For The Meatballs (12 large)
- 15 oz (430g) ground beef
- 2 Italian sausages
- 2 cloves garlic , crushed
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 ball mozzarella cut into cubes
For The Sauce
- 2 x 15 oz (800g) peeled plum tomatoes , canned
- 1 clove garlic , finely chopped
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Add all the meatball ingredients to a large mixing bowl apart from the mozzarella. Using your hands mix everything together without squeezing too tightly.
- Once everything is combined thoroughly shape a rough meatball using the palm of your hands. Once you have a meatball shape, make an indent in the middle of the ball using your finger. Place a cube of mozzarella in the hole and seal it back up. Roll the meatball between the palms of your hands again until shiny and smooth.
- Repeat until all the meat has been used up (you should have 12 large meatballs). Place them in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up.
- Add a small amount of olive oil to a large pan and brown the meatballs on all sides. They should have a nice, crispy coating on the outside. Remove them from the pan and set aside on a plate.
- Next, make the sauce, add the canned, peeled plum tomatoes to a blender and blitz until smooth. Add the chopped garlic to the same pan you cooked the meatballs in and saute for a few seconds then add the tomatoes.
- Add sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to the sauce and let it simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes. Add the meatballs and simmer uncovered for another 30 minutes. Serve.
Notes
- Use whole peeled, canned tomatoes instead of chopped or crushed. Whole tomatoes have much less water in them and much more flavour, these are the best for pasta sauces.
- You probably won't use the whole ball of mozzarella. If you have any leftover try tossing it over the meatballs at the end and cover with a lid for a few seconds until the mozzarella melts over them. Alternatively, keep it covered in the fridge to add to salads.
My family is going to love these cheese stuffed meatballs! Such a fun twist!
This looks really delish! I’d love to try this for dinner one of these nights!
Okay the cheese in those meatballs is genius!
Such a fun surprise inside! Pretty sure my boys are going to devour these!!
These look fantastic! Meatballs are always a favorite in our house!
Bring on the mozzarella!! Can’t wait to try these.
Those look positively scrumptious!