Spaghetti and Meatballs just got a little extra! I always like to take classic recipes and add a little something extra to them. That’s what I did with this recipe for Stuffed Meatball Pasta. I mean who doesn’t love it when the surprise is CHEESE! And the homemade red sauce so packed with flavor and so simple to make – you can use it for other dishes too.
By just adding a little chunk of mozzarella cheese to the center of the meatballs, you add more flavor and more fun. The typical string cheese snacks you probably already get for your kids are the perfect size for these too. You just cut them down to just smaller than inch pieces and put one inside each meatball. If you wanted to go a little healthier with this dish, you could switch out the ground beef or Italian sausage or both with ground turkey. You would just need to add a tablespoon of avocado oil to help hold them together.
Pasta dishes are always at least one meal on rotation in my Menu Planning practice. They are simple and filling, not to mentions totally versatile. You can use pasta in so many different ways for different styles of food. You can also use lots of different types of pasta for your regular recipes. Try some cellentani instead of shells or some rigatoni instead of penne.
Now let’s get cookin’!
Stuffed Meatball Pasta
Ingredients
- 1½ lb Pasta any variety
For the Meatballs:
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 lb Ground Italian Sausage
- 2 Eggs beaten
- 2 Garlic Cloves minced
- ½ cup Breadcrumbs
- 3 sticks Mozzarella String Cheese cut in ¾-in pieces
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp Fennel Seed
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Basil
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
For the Sauce:
- 2 28 oz cans Crushed Tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can Tomato Sauce
- ½ Onion diced
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 2 tbsp Avocado Oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 tsp Basil
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Parsley
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients. Preheat oven to 400deg. Start water boiling for pasta
- In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for meatballs except the cheese chunks. Wrap meat mixture around a piece of cheese to make 1½-inch balls. Place on a greased baking sheet and into oven for 25 minutes.
- In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add oil, onions, and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes then add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sauce seasonings. Cook for 4 minutes then reduce heat to low and let simmer.
- Add pasta to boiling water and cook as directed on the package. Drain in a colander and rinse with cool water to arrest cooking process
- Remove meatballs from oven and add to sauce. Let cook for 5 minutes
- Serve 4-6 meatballs with sauce over a portion of pasta. Garnish with parsley if desired.
Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
Estelle my boys love meatballs and I do often hide cheese inside! However, I’ve never thought to mix sausage in with the meatballs – I will try that! Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday.
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Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too! Please stay safe and healthy. Come party with us at Over The Moon! Catapult your content Over The Moon! @marilyn_lesniak @EclecticRedBarn
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Oh, stuffed meatballs look and sound amazing! I will have to try these out sometime!
Thanks for sharing this post with us on the Embracing Home and Family Link-up party. We hope you join us again this Friday!
-Cherelle
Such a fun way to jazz up a weeknight meal!
Thanks so much for joining the Grace at Home party at Imparting Grace. I’m featuring you this week!