Mozzarella stuffed meatballs

Mozzarella stuffed meatballs
Originally uploaded by c3howe

Yesterday while laying by the pool reading my Food and Wine magazine I thought of stuffing meatballs with fresh mozzarella. I thought I was a genius for sure since I have never seen or heard of the idea...after googling I realized that there are a lot of other smart people too ;) here is my very own recipe:

- half of a small onion
- 3 gloves of roasted garlic mashed into a paste
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried basil
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1 lbs of ground beef and pork mixture
- whole milk mozzarella diced into 12 cubes 3/4 inch thick
- 1/2 jar red sauce

*makes 12 meatballs

1. Grate onion into mixing bowl and add next 7 ingredients. Add salt and pepper and whisk till combined. stir in meat mixture.
2. use a ice cream scoop to keep portions equal. Roll meat into a round ball and flatten in your hand. Add a mozzarella cube in the middle and form the meat around the cheese. Roll back into a ball and place in a large pan. Continue process.
3. Pour red sauce over meatballs and cover with lid. Turn heat to low and let the meatballs simmer for 35 mins.

Roasted Garlic:
Slice 1/2 inch off the top of a garlic head, place in the middle of a piece of foil. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and close foil around the head. Bake on 400 degrees for 30 mins or till garlic is soft.