Cheese Stuffed Meatballs

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Who doesn't love a good meatball? And a Cheese Stuffed Meatball has to be the ultimate pleasure. This recipe has lots of good flavors and works as an appetizer as well as a meatball with pasta and sauce.

We're talking shallots, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, red pepper flakes, tomato paste, and a couple of cheeses. Mix all of this into the meat mixture and these meatballs are pretty well decked out!

You can use a food processor to make the shallots, sundried tomatoes, and basil really small, but I find that a little attention with a chef's knife is just fine. The amounts of the ingredients are a bit too small for a larger machine. They tend to get slung up onto the sides of the bowl rather than getting chopped up. If you have a small food processor attachment to your hand blender, it might just do the trick!

My choice is my chef's knife and a bit of thoughtful time chopping. I don't mind that at all.

Mix all the aromatics together with the meats. Then add some breadcrumbs and eggs to help bind everything together. You can use gluten-free or sourdough bread crumbs.

If you use gluten-free crumbs, use your food processor to process some stale bread. You can also use gluten-free panko, a Japanese style bread crumb.

I like to use mozzarella that is cut into ½-inch cubes, but if you prefer romano or grana padano, feel free to use whatever you want.

I find that making a ball from the meat mixture, then flattening it in my palm before putting the cheese cube in works really well. It allows me to bring the meat around the cheese fully so that the cheese doesn't leak out when it melts.

However ... if it DOES melt out, it gives beautiful charred cheese that is really delicious!

Brown the meatballs in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat, then put them in the oven to finish cooking them. It only takes 10-12 minutes.

Marinara sauce is a must! You can buy store bought marinara sauce, for sure! I prefer to warm passata or crushed tomatoes over low heat with some chopped garlic and plenty of salt for seasoning. That pure crushed tomato flavor with minimal seasoning is perfect for showcasing these beautiful meatballs.

Serve Cheese Stuffed Meatballs bite-sized with picks for ease of eating, but also serve them with pasta and sauce for a full meal!