I Makea Da Meataballs!: Mozzarella Stuffed Homemade Meatballs

Ok I know I am being very nonchalant about my distribution of "Hall of Fame" awards, but I've just been on a roll as of late! Continuing this trend of wins are these FANTASTIC Mozzarella Stuffed Homemade Meatballs from "The Picky Palate". These are perfect for non-Italians or shameful Italians that never learned how to make meatballs (guilty). I'm not sure if these are the most authentic of meatballs, but they truly are scrumptious and an easy way to dress up your standard spaghetti night. I mean it's mozzarella baked into a meatball! How can you lose?! Ironically, this is the same blog that brought us the Oreo within a Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe so clearly something is working here with this food within a food concept. Without further delay, here is the recipe:

Mine



Hers. Sorry I can't keep plants alive. Photo from http://www.picky-palate.com/

Mozzarella Stuffed Homemade Meatballs

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pound lean ground beef

1 large egg

1/2 cup finely chopped white onion

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs (*I didn't have Panko, I just used America's Choice Bread Crumbs)

1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese (*not fresh, oops!)

1/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (*I used low sodium)

1 tablespoon yellow mustard (*Didn't have it in the fridge. Used Dijon instead)

1 teaspoon hot sauce, like Tabasco

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Ten 1-inch Mozzarella balls (*Couldn't find. Used four jumbo balls and just about halved them to make 9 meatballs in total. This is also a better option if you are on a budget-Mozzarella balls are not cheap!)

1.  Preheat oven to 35o degrees F. and grease 9×13-inch baking dish with oil.

2.  Place beef, egg, onion, bread crumbs, Parmesan, milk, garlic, Worcestershire, mustard, hot sauce, salt, pepper and garlic salt into a large mixing bowl, stirring until just combined.  Take 1/4 cup beef mixture and press into center with your thumb to make room for cheese ball.  Place cheese in middle then with hands enclose the cheese with the beef, making sure the cheese is completely covered.  Place meatballs into prepared baking dish and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until cooked through.

Mix up all those ingredients.



Meatballs! (Before the good stuff)



The good stuff is inside (Thanks hubs for making them look pretty!)

Hot out of the oven!



3.  Serve over top your favorite pasta or inside a warm roll for delicious meatball sandwich.



Check out that cheese!

Pros: As we already know from my intro they are amazing! As my husband put it, "the flavor profile is perfect" (I think someone bumped his head and thinks he's Emeril now-or he's just getting really into the blog as well :) ). Another plus is that the recipe is really easy to follow and there's lots of room for revisions.

Cons: I found it hard to figure out how big to make the balls (ok I just laughed writing that-I seriously think I am actually a fifteen-year-old boy sometimes). 1/4 of a cup didn't seem the right size to make the mozzarella fit inside the meatballs.



Revisions: All of my ingredient revisions are written in the recipe. I am a huge believer (mostly because Bethanny Frankle is-I love her-guilty!) in using what you have especially if it isn't a huge component of the recipe. For instance, I didn't have yellow mustard and I was not about to run out and buy some because 1. I'm cheap and 2. We rarely use yellow mustard. So, I used Dijon instead. Just as good.

Next, if you're sensitive to onion (or have never cut a white onion before) use a food processor or be prepared for the water works! These are definitely the crying onion.

Also, and I know I sound like a broken record but, check your ovens! I found that 25 minutes baked and a few minutes broiled worked perfectly for this recipe and really browned the meatballs nicely. It depends on your oven. My husband noted that next time a drip tray under the meatballs on broil would work and allow for the grease to drip out leaving the bottom of the meatballs drier.

Total Meal: We ended up putting the meatballs over whole wheat rigatoni and canned marinara sauce that we warmed up on the stove and added in fresh basil, minced garlic, a few drops of Tabasco, and some of the leftover chopped white onion.

This one is most certainly a keeper. Try it out and let me know what you think and don't forget to go over to "The Picky Palate" and look at some of her other delicious recipes (so far she is 2 for 2 on this blog and both were "Hall of Famers!".

Cleaned plate = Happy cook.