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Insanely delicious Cheese Stuffed Meatballs in a dreamy homemade tomato sauce. Serve for spaghetti night or for the big game as an appetizer!
GIMME ALL THE CHEESY MEATBALLS.
We’re talking about a cozy tomato sauce that tastes like it’s been cooking all day long with a quick ingredient that elevates the sauce. Then we’ll loaded a piece of mozzarella into the center of your meatball mixture and sear them in a hot skillet. Then let them simmer in the sauce until the gooey cheese is oozing out and begging to be devoured.
Meatballs in a cozy Sunday sauce are the way to start the week. I made these cheese-stuffed meatballs one rainy Sunday afternoon and they were a big hit served over a bowl of warm pasta. When is comfort food not a hit for us?
These are perfect because it’s a one pan recipe where we cook the meatballs on the stovetop and then cook the sauce int he same pan.
Serve with spaghetti for Sunday night supper and when I’m single on the weekdays they’re great in meatball sub with marinara sauce to dip them in or with the world best garlic bread and an house salad. Really, is there a wrong way to eat a meatball?
I think not.
Ingredients for Mozzarella-stuffed meatballs
- Panko breadcrumbs: we’ll add panko to help absorb the excess moisture
- Eggs: add protein and aids in binding the raw meatballs
- Parmesan cheese: adds umami to the meatballs
- Fresh Parsley: brings flavor and color
- Milk: gives the meatballs an extra bit of moisture
- Garlic: fresh garlic cloves help flavor the meatballs and the tomato sauce
Spices: you’ll need Italian seasoning, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper, and some red pepper flakes for the tomato sauce. Feel free to swap the garlic cloves for garlic powder if you wish - Ground beef: is the base of the meatballs.I use ground beef, but chicken or 1 pound ground pork here works too
- Mozzarella cheese: use cubed mozzarella cheese for the cheesy center. Smoked mozzarella works well if you’re into that sort of thing
- Chopped Onions: for the tomato sauce
- Crushed tomatoes: for the marinara recipe
- Basil Pesto: gives the marinara a homemade flavor without having to simmer it all daylong
How to Make Cheese Stuffed Meatballs
- Make the meatball mixture. Combine the ingredients for the meatball mixture in a bowl before you add in the ground beef. This ensures you don’t end up overworking the meat and so that you have tender meatballs every time. Roll the raw meatballs into ball, make an indentation the center and place a piece of cheese in the center. Roll between your palms to cover.
- Sear them in a pan. Add a glug of olive oil to a skillet and sear the meatballs batches until golden. Then remove to plate. Don’t worry about cooking them through just yet.
- Make the sauce. We’ll make the sauce in the same pan to pick up all that meatball flavor .Add the garlic and onions and cook them before adding the crushed tomatoes, red pepper flakes, water, pesto and kosher salt. Simmer the sauce
- Simmer with the meatballs. Add the meatballs back to the sauce and let them hang out for a few minutes get gooey mozzarella centers. Sprinkle with parsley and serve as an appetizer or a main meal!
Recipe Tip
Make ahead option. If you want to make these in advance, roll the meatballs with the cheese in the center and freeze on a sheet pan. Then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze. When you’re ready to cook, spray with cooking spray and cook in an air fryer at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Then sear in the pan and continue to cook the same way.
Other meatball recipes to try
- Sticky Mongolian Beef Meatballs
- Chicken Piccata Meatballs
- CheeseSteak Meatballs with Garlic Cheese Sauce
- Cajun Chicken Meatballs in Tasty Cream Sauce
- General Tso’s Chicken Meatballs
Cheese Stuffed Meatballs in Homemade Tomato Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound ground beef
- 4-5 ounces mozzarella cheese or provolone cut into 13-16 square pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Homemade Tomato Sauce:
- 3 cloves fresh garlic minced
- ½ cup yellow onions chopped
- 28 ounce crushed san marzano tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup water or chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon basil pesto homemade or store-bought
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Meatballs
- MIX: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the panko, egg, parmesan, parsley, milk, grated garlic, italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, and pepper until it resembles a coarse breading. Add the the ground beef and mix until just combined. Do not overwork the meat as this will result it drier meatballs.
- ROLL: into desired size balls. Make an indentation in the center and add a cube of cheese. Wrrap the meat around the cheese. Roll between palms to smooth them out. Place on a clean plate.
- SEAR: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 6-8 meatballs at a time. Let them cook for about 7-9 minutes, flipping as needed to brown all sides evenly. Remove to a plate. Repeat with remaining meatballs.
Marinara Sauce
- SAUTE: To the remaining oil in the skillet, add the minced garlic and continuously stir to cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the onions and let them sweat for 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, red pepper flakes, water, pesto, and salt.
- SIMMER: Allow the sauce to come to a simmer. Add meatballs back to the skillet. Dollop sauce over meatballs. Cover saute pan with a lid and lower the heat to low. Allow the sauce to simmer for 10-15 minutes or until it thickens and the meatballs cook through.
- SERVE: warm on a bed of pasta or if you're serving this as an appetizer for a party, transfer to a slow cooker and keep on the warm setting.
Notes
- You can swap the beef for chicken or turkey if you’d like.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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These. Are. AMAZING! I’ve made these once a week for the past 4 weeks. I’ve made them with and without cheese in a pinch, and we had them on meatball subs with melted provolone tonight. Huge hit with the whole family! Thanks so much!!! How do you think would be the best way to freeze these for making ahead of time?