Stuffed Mozzarella Meatballs

We had some good friends over for dinner last weekend and I served these delicious little meatballs with homemad red sauce over pasta + a chopped salad.  These meatballs are not only delicious, but they are also quite easy!  We prepped these ahead of time, so they were all ready to just pop in the oven once our friends came over.  It's key to find ways to not spend all the time in the kitchen and little to no time with your guests!

Servings: 8 (total recipe will make 24 meatballs)
Size: 3 meatballs
Points Plus: 3pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes 

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef, extra lean

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 oz. fresh mozzarella

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, egg, ketchup, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and fresh parsley (basically everything besides the fresh mozzarella).  Make sure everything is well combined.  Cut the fresh mozzrella into small pieces for the meatball stuffing.  Form the meatballs and make a little valley or hole in each one to add a piece of fresh mozzarella.  Reshape the meatball to make sure mozzarella is completely covered by meatball mixture. You should be able to make 24 meatballs in total. Bake in the oven for15-20 minutes or until cooked all the way through.  Serve with your favorite pasta and red sauce!

Tip:

Fresh herbs make SUCH a difference!  I have a little herb garden growing in small planters on my deck and let me tell you... they are so good and really amp up the flavor in any dish!  I just have oregano, rosemary and parsley growing out there, but I have already decided that next year I need to expand my herb garden. 

XOXO Megan