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Close up of Cheese Stuffed Meatballs

Cheese Stuffed Meatballs

Tammy Circeo
Who doesn't love a good meatball? And a Cheese Stuffed Meatball has got to be the ultimate pleasure. This recipe has lots of good flavors included and works as an appetizer as well as a meatball with pasta and sauce.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Italian
Servings 3 dozen

Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces mozzarella cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 2 large shallots diced small
  • ¼ cup sundried tomatoes in oil chopped small
  • cup packed fresh basil
  • cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to season
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • ½ cup bread crumbs Can use gluten free or sourdough
  • 2 eggs
  • Marinara Sauce See notes

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Be sure the shallots, sundried tomatoes, and basil are all chopped very finely. You can use a food processor if you prefer rather than a chef's knife, but I find the small amounts of the ingredients make that more difficult.
  • Mix the shallots, sundried, tomatoes, and basil with the shredded mozzarella, grated parmesan, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
  • Add the ground beef and ground pork and mix well. Add the bread crumbs and eggs and mix well.
  • Form the meat mixture into about 1½-inch balls. Flatten it a bit in your palm, place a cube of mozzarella in the middle, and form the meat around it. Be sure to fully enclose the cheese cube with the meat mixture.
  • Heat a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides to the darkness that you like, then transfer the skillet to the oven if it is oven-proof. If your skillet isn't oven-proof, transfer the meatballs to a baking dish and place them in the oven until they are cooked through, 10-12 minutes.
  • Serve on a platter with marinara sauce. Use tall picks to serve as an appetizer. You can also serve the meatballs with pasta and sauce.

Notes

You can certainly use a store-bought marinara sauce, but it's just as easy to warm passata or crushed tomatoes with 3-4 cloves of chopped garlic and salt. It's my favorite way to serve this as it allows the flavor of the meatballs to shine rather than the usual herbed and flavored store-bought marinara sauces.
Keyword cheese stuffed meatballs, meatballs
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