Back to recipesWhy have cheese on the outside when you can have cheese on the inside? This is a great recipe to prepare the night before and warm up before serving on your big day! Great to prepare for lots of people, especially those that love Italian food!
Ingredients
- Extra-Virgin olive oil
- 3 1/2 cups Italian bread
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 Eggs
- 2lbs Ground beef
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 Grated garlic clove
- Kosher salt for taste
- 1/2tsp Red pepper flakes
- 4 Mini mozzarella balls
Sauce
- 2tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 thinly sliced cloves of garlic
- 1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes
- 1 28oz Jar crushed tomatoes
- 4 Basil sprigs
- Kosher salt for taste
- Ricotta cheese to top
Directions
- Form meat into balls
- Preheat oven to 400 and brush baking sheet with olive oil or cooking spray
- Use food processor to chop bread into pieces
- Transfer to bowl and add milk and let soak
- Beat in eggs in mixing bowl, adding beef, parsley, parmesan, garlic, 1tsp salt and red pepper flakes
- Add bread/milk mixture
- Mix until all ingredients combined
- Make indentation in center of each meatball with thumb and stuff with mozzarella ball, molding meat around cheese
- Place meatballs on baking sheet
- Bake for about 30 minutes
- Prepare sauce by heating a large skilled over medium heat with olive oil
- Add in garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until garlic softens
- Add tomatoes, 1 cup water, and basil sprigs and 1/2 tsp salt
- Bring to boil and reduce heat to low to allow it to simmer until thick (about 30 mins)
- Remove meatballs from oven and add sauce
- Continuing cooking and adding sauce little by little
- Place ricotta cheese and chopped basil on top for presentation