Marvelous Mozzarella Meatballs

I honestly never really liked meatballs, but when I came across a recipe for mozzarella stuffed meatballs, I instantly wanted to give them another chance.  The recipe sounded delicious & let me tell you... they are the most mouth-watering meatballs I've ever had.  One of my favorite things about making the dish is that it usually serves as 2 meals for my family-spaghetti & meatballs & then meatball subs the following day.  So make sure you make more than enough.  You'll be glad you did come lunchtime.

To make the mozzarella stuffed meatballs you'll need marinara sauce, 1-1/2 lbs. of lean ground beef, 8oz. of mozzarella cheese(not shredded), minced garlic or garlic powder, dried basil, 1/3 c. breadcrumbs(I use italian breadcrumbs), 1/3 c. parmesan cheese, & 1 egg.  Mix all ingredients together except the mozzarella.  Roll the mixture into 1 in. meatballs. Then cut the mozzarella into 1/3 in. pieces.  To get the mozzarella into the meatball, just make a small pocket in the meatball with your thumb, add the cheese, then close the pocket by forming the meatball around the cheese.  Make sure you cover the mozzarella completely or the cheese will come out when the meatballs are cooking.  Once you are finished preparing the mozzarella stuffed meatballs, drizzle some olive oil in a pan on medium-medium high heat.  Add the meatballs & sear them on all sides, turning them as the cook.  You'll see them get dark on the outside.  Once all sides of the meatball are seared, drain any excess oil & then add your choice of marinara sauce.  I like to use a plain traditional sauce.  I always add a little brown sugar to mine to take out the tanginess of the sauce.  Let the meatballs finish cooking in the sauce on medium-medium low heat for at least 15-20.  You're delicious meatballs are then ready for you to add to over favorite pasta.

For the mozzarella stuffed meatball subs, get some sub rolls from the bakery section of your grocery store.  Cut the sub rolls to look like a boat to put the meatballs into.  I like to bake the rolls for a few min. at 400 degrees, just to get them toasty.  Warm the meatballs & sauce, then add to your roll.  Add a little more mozzarella over the top of the meatballs, if you have extra.  When you bite in you'll quickly see why these meatballs are a favorite of mine.  The mozzarella in the middle of each juicy meatball is a little surprise with each bite!

Like with any recipe, you can change this one to your taste.  Using ground sirloin is a great variation.  Also, using all fresh ingredients such as fresh basil, garlic, & mozzarella make these meatballs out of this world good.  Either way you make them these marvelous mozzarella meatballs are sure to be a hit!