Everyone loves good old spaghetti and meatballs. We love it even more when there is mozzarella cheese in the middle of the meatballs!! I’ve been making this recipe for a while now, and it is a very tasty and easy version of this standard meal. The mozzarella could easily be left out for a more traditional meatball, but they are tasty regardless. I served this with a side of broccoli because that was all I had in the fridge. I just boiled it until tender, about 3-4 minutes, and tossed in a few red pepper flakes.This recipe is from Rachael Ray, one of the chefs from The Food Network. While I find Rachael incredibly annoying to watch, I must admit that I love some of her recipes. The only change I make to this recipe is to season the tomato sauce a bit. It seemed a bit bland the first time I made it, so now I use a bit of dried basil and oregano to give it more flavor. This makes about 20-25 meatballs, so there is plenty left over for dinner tomorrow.
Spaghetti with Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
Ingredients:
¼ c. bread crumbs
½ c. milk
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, 2 smashed and 1 chopped
2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
salt
1 lb. ground sirloin
2 tsbp. parsley, chopped
½ c. parmesan cheese
1 egg
4 oz. mozzarella cheese
1 lb. pasta
Directions:
Soak bread crumbs in milk. Heat olive oil in skillet. Add smashed garlic, cook 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, season with S&P and simmer. Add beef, chopped garlic, parsley, parmesan, egg and 1 tsp. salt to bread crumbs. Stir with a fork until mixed. Use about 2 T. of the mixture to form a meatball around a cube of mozzarella. Place meatballs in sauce so they are submerged. Raise heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes. Serve with spaghetti.
