Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

What do you think of when I say the word “spaghetti”? Love it? Hate it? I know that for most families with kids, spaghetti appears on the menu on a regular basis. I have friends that tell me they have to serve it so often (picky eaters), that they are totally sick of it. We’re kind of the opposite at my house. Because of my insane desire slight obsession for trying new recipes, we hardly ever have spaghetti. I like it, I just  don’t ever think of it.

My 12 year old saw a photo of cheese stuffed meatballs in one of my cookbooks, and asked if I could make them. So I decided it was time to put spaghetti on the menu. I didn’t have all the ingredients for the meatballs he found, so I just came up with my own recipe. It was definitely a hit! If you’re in a spaghetti rut at your house, you should give these meatballs a try. They really do make spaghetti more exciting!

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 cup *fresh bread crumbs
2 tsp dry parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 pound pork sausage
1/2 pound ground beef
4 mozzarella cheese sticks, each cut into 6 pieces
1 26oz jar spaghetti sauce
Hot cooked pasta
Combine first nine ingredients in a large bowl. Add sausage and ground beef and mix well. Shape meat mixture around the cheese cubes. (I had a few pieces of cheese left over. No worries.) Place meatballs on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400° for 18-20 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally so they brown evenly.
Heat spaghetti sauce in a large saucepan. Add cooked meatballs. Serve over hot pasta.

Notes:
*Don’t substituted dry bread crumbs. They will soak up too much liquid and make your meatballs dry. I just took a slice of bread and ground it up in my food processor. A blender would work fine too.