Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs are Italian-American comfort food at it's finest. Slowly simmering in a fragrant marinara sauce these meatballs are tender and packed with flavor! Filled with a gooey melted cheese at the center they make for the perfect appetizer or main dish.

Easy to make, these meatballs are delicious. Using both beef and sausage - each meatball is juicy and moist, because no one likes a dry meatball!

Slow cooker Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs are a fun and unexpected way to elevate your standard spaghetti and meatballs dish.

And if you are a lover of Italian dishes and flavor looking for other Italian-American dishes to to fill up your weekly menu with Spaghetti Meat Sauce, Zuppa Toscana Soup, easy Lasagna or Zucchini and Pesto Lasagna are all favorites here.

Jump to:

• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions
• 🍽 How to Serve
• 💭 Top Tips
• 🍽 Storing
• 📋  FAQ's
• 📖 Recipe

🥘 Ingredients

With just a handful of fresh ingredients you will be well on your way to a flavorful and delicious meal or appetizer. All you need for these Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs are a few pantry and fridge items!

• Ground Beef
• Hot Italian Sausage
• Garlic Powder
• Salt and Pepper
• Breadcrumbs
• Shredded Parmesan Cheese
• Fresh Parsley
• Eggs
• Milk
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Marinara Sauce

🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions

Preparation

Firstly, you want to cut your mozzarella into 1-inch cubes and set them aside. Keeping in mind that you need 30-35 pieces of mozzarella.

For this you can choose to use, either cheese sticks or a block of fresh mozzarella. We like to use cheese sticks since they are already cut to the right width, and it just makes things go that much quicker.

Next add marinara sauce to the bottom of the slow cooker until it is just covered.

Then in a large bowl add ground beef, sausage, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, eggs, and milk.

Using a spoon at first begin mixing your meat mixture. Then put on gloves to finish the job, mixing it by hand and to form the meatballs.

Afterwards it is time to begin forming your Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs. We do this by pinching off roughly two tablespoons of meat and rolling it into a golf ball sized ball.

Then, carefully place a mozzarella cheese cube into the center of each rolled meatball. Pull and pinch the edges of the meat around the cheese until it is fully encased.

Cooking

When done place each stuffed meatball into the slow cooker. When all the meatballs are added, pour the remaining marinara sauce over the top of the meatballs.

Cover the slow cooker and allow it all to cook on high for two hours or on low for four hours.

Be sure to stir the meatballs and sauce after one hour to ensure an even cook of the meatballs throughout the slow cooker.

After the time is up use a meat thermometer to check the Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs. They need to have reached an internal temperature of 165° before serving.

Be sure to test a few meatballs all around the pot, to get an accurate read, especially the ones in the center of the pot.

Once the meatballs have reached 165° internally, top with your dish with any remaining parsley, serve as you wish and enjoy!

🍽 How to Serve

Wether served as a main dish or an appetizer, these mozzarella stuffed meatballs are sure to be gobbled right up!

One of our most favorite ways to these juicy meatballs is served over pasta like fresh homemade egg noodles. We also love putting them on a bun with extra parmesan for a Meatball Hoagie sandwich.

And don't hesitate to let that meatball be the star of the show, served as the main dish alongside a fresh green garden salad and your favorite dinner roll or cornbread for a well rounded meal everyone will love.

💭 Top Tips

When forming your mozzarella stuffed meatballs you want to be sure to roll them gently in the palm of your hands. And keep rolling until there are no more cracks. This helps keep your meatballs together when cooking.

And if your meatballs seem to have an extra hard time staying together, you can put them on a plate and place it in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes to firm up before adding them to the slow cooker to simmer.

Adding a third jar of sauce will definitely help to make this recipe go further if planning to serve to children with larger appetites or a bigger crowd.

🍽 Storing

Cooked meatball leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container. If hoping to freeze your meatballs we would suggest preparing your meatballs ahead of time and freezing them after forming into balls.

Then when ready to enjoy pull from freezer and cook in a slow cooker covered with marinara sauce on high for 4 hours.

📖 Recipe

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Yield: 9

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours

Slowly simmered in a fragrant marinara sauce, these flavorful and tender meatballs are filled with a melted and gooey cheese center.

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Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound hot italian sausage
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup milk
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese
• 64 ounces marinara sauce

Instructions

1. Cut mozzarella into 1-inch cubes and set aside.
2. Add marinara sauce to the bottom of the slow cooker until just covered.
3. In a large bowl add ground beef, sausage, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, eggs, and milk.
4. Using your hands combine all the ingredients in the bowl till everything is mixed throughout.
5. Begin forming your meatballs by pinching off roughly two tablespoons of meat rolling them into golf ball sized balls.
6. Carefully place a mozzarella cheese cube into the center of each rolled meatball being sure to pull and pinch the edges of the meat around the cheese so that is full enclosed.
7. Place each stuffed meatball into the slow cooker. When all meatballs have been added pour remaining marinara sauce over the top of the meatballs.
8. Cover the slow cooker and allow to cook on high for two hours or low for four hours.
9. Stir the meatballs and sauce after one hour to ensure an even cook of the meatballs throughout the slow cooker.
10. Using a meat thermometer check the meatballs to be sure they have reached an internal temperature of 165° before serving. (Be sure to test a few meatballs all around the pot, especially the ones in the center of the pot.
11. Once meatballs have reached 165° internally, top with remaining parsley, serve and enjoy!

Notes

• Use mozzarella cheese sticks for the center filling for faster prep and less cutting.
• Be careful not to make your meatballs too big when forming them. Ideally you want them to be about the size of a golf ball because the bigger the meatball, the longer it will take to cook.
• Pan sear your meatballs before placing in the slow cooker for a nice brown crust.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 585Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 142mgSodium: 2224mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 5gSugar: 14gProtein: 37g

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