Mozzarella stuffed meatballs in a delicious flavour packed tomato sauce. This recipe is so easy and absolutely delicious, juicy meatballs stuffed with oozing mozzarella cheese and cooked in the easiest tomato sauce. A must try recipe that the whole family will love! Serve your meatballs with spaghetti for a classic comfort food dish.
Ohhh, I have a goodun for you today. I love, love, love meatballs but what makes these extra delicious is the oozy, cheesy centre. I mean, how can these not taste insanely delicious?! Cheese and pasta are my two favourite things on this planet so add meatballs to the mix and I am dead.
Here's the thing.... spaghetti and meatballs ain't Italian. They love their spaghetti and they love their meatballs just not together. In Italy pasta is always the first course and meatballs are served as a second course often with polenta (sooo delicious).
Saying that, there can't be any denying the spaghetti and meatballs served together is SO AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS because it is. Aaaad because pasta is served as a main course in nearly every other part of the world I think they can forgive us for having them together (and loving it), right?
Tips For Making The Most Delicious Meatballs
- 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 than 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 Easy Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs - Step By Step
Add the ground beef, sausage, garlic, spices and herbs to a large mixing bowl. Add the egg and a good pinch of salt and pepper then 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 (photo 1).
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 (photos 2-3).
Repeat the with all the meat mixture and mozzarella 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. The should have a nice, crispy coating on the outside. Remove them from the pan and set aside on a plate (photos 4-5).
Next, make the sauce, add the canned, peeled plum tomatoes to a blender and blitz until smooth. Add a little more olive oil to the same pan you cooked the meatballs in and add the chopped garlic, saute for a few seconds then add the tomatoes (photos 6-7).
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 (photos 8-9).
Serve the mozzarella stuffed meatballs with spaghetti for a classic comfort food dish, so yummy! P.S look at that CHEESE!!
More Easy Pasta Recipes To Try;
- Creamy butternut squash pasta
- Sausage pasta bake
- Pasta with artichokes and peas
- Pasta with pancetta, ricotta and tomato
- Sun dried tomato pasta with roasted red pepper
- Pork stroganoff with buttered noodles
If you've tried these mozzarella stuffed meatballs or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I'm getting up to.
Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
Ingredients
For The Meatballs (12 large)
- 15 oz (430g) ground beef
- 2 Italian sausages
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- ½ tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 egg
- ½ 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
- 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 the with all the meat mixture and mozzarella 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. The 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 a little more olive oil to the same pan you cooked the meatballs in and add the chopped garlic, 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 with spaghetti or salad.
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.
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use this brand for the best results and flavour
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated here
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples here
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking here
Marlee
This is utter perfection! I love everything about it!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thank you so much Marlee!
Catherine Brown
Serious comfort food, right there! and it's still so cold here in the Northeast of the US... as long as we have to wait for spring, we might as well have comfort foods!
Inside the rustic kitchen
It's still pretty cold around here too, comfort food is the best! 😀
Laura
Great recipe Emily, what a great idea to put a mozzarella right in the middle. I love spaghetti with meatballs, one of my boys favourite. I like the way you arranged the spaghetti on the plate. It looks like a flower.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks so much Laura!
Beth
Oh man, those totally do look amazing! I want run away from the computer and make them immediately!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Haha, thanks Beth!