Table of Contents

1. Reasons you should make these meatballs
2. What are the ingredients in mozzarella stuffed meatballs
3. How to make mozzarella stuffed meatballs in the oven
4. What to serve with mozzarella stuffed meatballs
5. Can you freeze mozzarella stuffed meatballs?
6. Tips and tricks to make the best cheese-stuffed meatballs:
7. Other recipes you may like
8. Recipe

I'll be the first to admit that I love cheese. I usually try and find a way to include it in my dishes, especially pasta dishes. Not much beats a big pile of pasta and meatballs topped with some gooey mozzarella or freshly grated parmesan cheese. Years and years ago I saw an idea from Tasty to actually put the cheese in the meatball and cook them in the crockpot. I excitedly make them... once. I was a busy university student and didnt have much time to plan ahead and use the crockpot. I since have converted my favorite meatball recipe to be stuffed with mozzarella cheese and baked instead of using the crockpot and the result is a versatile, tasty dinner in a fraction of the time it took previously.

Reasons you should make these meatballs

I don't know why you would need more convincing, but just in case here are a few reasons you need to try these meatballs ASAP:

• They are delicious (obviously!)
• They are simple to make and only use basic ingredients
• They pair perfectly with a big plate of pasta and sauce, or on their own as an appetizer
• You can use whatever type of cheese you want; cheddar, monterey jack, or swiss would all be delicious options in place of the mozzarella

What are the ingredients in mozzarella stuffed meatballs

The ingredients are simple, everyday things:

• ground beef - I like to use extra lean ground beef because there is plenty of fat in the pork
• Italian sausage - I like to use mild sausage, but if you like it spicy then use hot sausage instead
• panko breadcrumbs - I used plain but for an extra flavor boost try italian style
• milk - helps keep the meatballs moist without being too dense
• egg - helps hold everything together
• seasonings and salt - for added flavor in the meatballs
• mozzarella cheese - i love using pizza mozzarella for its stretch, but feel free to expirement with different cheeses

How to make mozzarella stuffed meatballs in the oven

Step one: Preheat the oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with tin foil, set aside.

Step two: Prepare the meatballs by first mixing the panko with milk and allowing to soak for 5 minutes

Step three: Then in a large bowl mix together the beef, sausage, eggs, seasonings, and panko mixture

Step four: Portion out the meatball mixture into 36 equal sized balls, then push a cheese cube into the center of each

Step five: Bring the edges up around the cheese cube and seal, then roll into ball-shape

Step six: Bake in preheated oven 18-20 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through

What to serve with mozzarella stuffed meatballs

While these work great as an appetizer, I usually serve these on a big pile of homemade spaghetti with some marinara sauce or homemade pasta sauce. We also love to eat them on a bun for a homemade "meatball sub" type of dish.

Can you freeze mozzarella stuffed meatballs?

These mozzarella stuffed meatballs can stay in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days after making, or about 3-4 months in the freeezer. To reheat, simply bake at 350 F until they are heated through again. I love making a big batch of these and freezing in family-sized portions for quick and weeknight dinners

Tips and tricks to make the best cheese-stuffed meatballs:

• make sure you use a high quality sausage that you enjoy the flavor of - a lot of the flavor from the meatballs comes from the seasoning is the sausage so it is important that you like it!
• use about 1/2 inch cubes of cheese - it is tempting to use a HUGE piece of cheese - but the bigger the piece of cheese the more likely it is to run out during cooking because the meat will be too thin to really seal it in (guilty of this!!)
• some cheese may escape during the cooking process - this is normal. I normally just scoop it up off the tray and add it to the sauce or the top of the meatballs
• try using your favorite cheese instead of mozzarella to change it up
• use a temperature probe to check if the meatballs are done to avoid it open
• parsley makes a beautiful garnish for these meatballs
• if you don't want to use foil then lightly oil a baking sheet; I prefer foil for the easier clean up though!
• you can easily substitute ground beef for ground turkey and pork sausage for turkey sausage to make these a bit leaner

Other recipes you may like

• Hidden Veggie Turkey Meatballs
• One Pot Creamy Gnocchi and Sausage