Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

2/3 cup plain breadcrumbs, (plus more as needed (gluten free is okay)

1 pound ground chicken, (ground turkey, or lean ground beef)

3 garlic cloves, (minced)

1 cup fresh chopped parsley

1 raw egg, (beaten)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

Kosher salt

Black pepper

20 baby mozzarella balls (bocconcini)

Extra virgin olive oil

Pasta sauce, homemade (or 1, 25 ounce jar store-bought marinara)

Directions

Get ready. Heat the oven to 400°F. Prepare half of the breadcrumbs on a large plate.

Make the meatball mixture. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground meat (I used ground chicken), garlic, parsley, egg, parmesan cheese, and the remaining breadcrumbs. Season with the oregano, paprika, parsley, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Mix to combine.

Form and stuff the meatballs. Take a heaping 1-tablespoon of the meatball mixture and form into a ball. Make an indentation in the middle and insert a mozzarella ball in the center. Reform the meatball, making sure the cheese is covered with the meat mixture. Repeat with the remaining meat and cheese, setting the formed metaballs aside on a large plate or sheet tray without touching.

Coat the meatballs in breadcrumbs. Roll the meatballs in the breadcrumbs so that each meatball is covered all over, replenishing the breadcrumbs if necessary.

Brown the meatballs in olive oil. Set a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough extra virgin olive oil to coat the bottom. When the oil is shimmering, add the meatballs and cook, turning until a golden brown crust forms, about 2 to 3 minutes. Do this in batches if you don’t have a large enough skillet to avoid overcrowding.

Add the sauce. If you worked in batches, return the meatballs to the pan. Turn the heat off and pour the sauce all over the meatballs. (If you have a few extra mozzarella balls to use up, you can nestle them in the sauce.)

Cover and bake. Cover the pan (use foil if the pan does not have a lid). Bake until the meatballs are cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Nutrition

• Calories: 222.3 kcal
• Total Fat: 10.5 g
• Saturated Fat: 3.7 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 5.5 g
• Trans Fat: 0.1 g
• Cholesterol: 101.7 mg
• Sodium: 929.1 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 13.5 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2.7 g
• Total Sugars: 4.8 g
• Protein: 20.1 g