These Spicy, Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs are so YUM!
Ahhh… fall is on it’s way. And with it, flavors and recipes I shelved for the summer in favor of grilling meats and veggies during the hottest months.
Lately I’ve been pondering how I can incorporate more of Tom’s traditional Italian favorites into our dinners without defaulting to calorie- and fat-laden recipes. I’m excited to share this new creation with you today! Honestly, this recipe should have the word “skinny” in the title because I’ve gone to great effort to slim these meatballs down.
You’re gonna LOVE the spicy, secret sauce of this Spicy Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs recipe because it makes preparation easy as pie. In fact, it comes right out of a jar! Ready? It’s Mezzetta Napa Valley Homemade Spicy Marinara, and it’s the bomb, friends.
Would you believe I’ve NEVER made meatballs from scratch?? True that. Thankfully, the steps to make these — which are perfect for either a main dish or an appetizer — are super simple. I sort of made it up as I went, and they turned out great!
Here’s how you make ’em…
- 1 pound ground 90% lean ground beef
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup whole grain oats
- 2 tablespoons onions, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, finely julienned
- 4-6 pieces string cheese, cut into bite sized cubes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup Mezzetta Spicy Marinara
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a large baking sheet with foil; set aside.
- In a large bowl combine beef, garlic, egg, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and oats.
- The mixture should be very moist but still hold its shape when rolled into meatballs.
- Scoop one tablespoon of meat into a small ball.
- Press a piece of cheese in the center.
- Cover the hole with another small piece of meat; roll to seal in the cheese.
- Repeat with all meat and cheese.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Allow the oil to simmer (you want it very hot).
- Saute meatballs in batches in the hot oil (just brown them quickly on each side).
- Place semi-cooked meatballs on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until they're cooked though.
- When meatballs are almost done, heat the marinara.
- Remove meatballs from oven.
- Drizzle marinara sauce on each meatball and skewer it with a small piece of basil.
- That's it!
I found the Mezzetta Spicy Marinara at my grocery store, and I can’t wait to try the other flavors (especially the Roasted Garlic & Carmelized Onions!)
PIN FOR LATER!
xoxo,
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Andrea, these look and sound AMAZING! I can’t wait to try them!!
YUM! Can’t wait to try these~
These would be perfect for my diabetic hubby!! We miss Italian food and now you have shown me we can have it again!!!
They look so amazing. I need to try them.
These look so tasty! I’ve been trying to slim down our favorites as well, this is definitely one for us to try! thanks for sharing your recipe.
These stuffed meatballs look so yummy! I’m especially liking the melty cheese in the middle. 🙂 I hope you can stop on by and share this or any other recipe with us on Five Friday Finds!
loved this , you should add it to our link party
http://mountaintopchef.blogspot.com/2015/09/friday-finds-1.html
These meatballs look great. I love sauce that has a kick to it. Can’t wait to try. Pinned it!
I am looking for some good low calorie recipes with low carb count since we have been trying to change up our eating habits. I also can’t wait to try this sauce!!