Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Easy mozzarella stuffed meatballs using individually-wrapped cheese sticks.

Remember when I said all I had left in the freezer was ground beef and I thought I might lose my shiz if I had to cook one more meal with it? Well… guess what??? It’s still not Friday so I still haven’t gotten paid so we’re still eating ground beef.

Ugh.

Determined to do something with it last night, I was staring into the fridge hoping inspiration would jump up and slap me in the face.

And guess what?

It did.

God bless my onions and their lunchboxes. As I was pilfering through my scantily stocked refrigerator I came across the cheese sticks I pack in the lunchboxes. And the wheels started turning…

We had these with spaghetti and pasta sauce but, honestly, I could have eaten these suckers with just about anything. The onions thought they were ahhh-mazing and liked biting in to them to watch the cheese string and ooze out.

Working Class Grocery Budget – 0
Mama – 1

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup Italian dried bread crumbs
3 1-ounce individually-wrapped mozzarella cheese sticks

This method makes quick work out of shaping
meatballs and ensures they’re all uniform in size.

Add ground beef, eggs, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic and red pepper flakes to a medium bowl. Using your hands, mix ingredients together until just combined. Don’t “squeeze” the mixture with your hands – overworking the meat is what yields that “corky” texture.

Add parmesan cheese and bread crumbs and continue to mix with your hands until all ingredients are just combined.

Turn mixture out onto a cutting board or clean counter and shape into a rectangle. Pat her down good and keep working on it until it’s perfectly shaped. Using a sharp knife, cut the mixture into 24 squares.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean-up) and spray with cooking spray; set aside.

Cut each cheese stick into 8 pieces (24 pieces total) and press one into the center of each of the meatball “squares”. Roll each square into a tight ball. Place meatballs onto baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Don’t overcook or the mozzarella might bubble out of the meatballs.

Serve immediately.

PRINTABLE RECIPE