These fabulous Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs are a simple and fun twist on the classic recipe! You can make them now or stash them in the freezer for a quick and easy dinner. Serve them as a party appetizer or pile them on top of pasta or zoodles for a hearty meal.
Hey, y'all! Welcome to my latest series on the blog; Make Ahead Mondays! Let me tell you, meal planning and meal prepping has been a game changer for me. Recently, our family grew from a family of 2 to a family of 5 when our latest group of foster children joined us.
Before, when it was just the two of us, I'd meal plan- meaning I'd sit down on the weekends and figure out what meals I was going to prepare throughout the week. I'd jot down a grocery list and head to the store to stock up for the week. Now that we're moms to a 5-year-old and 1 1/2-year-old twin boys, I had to switch over to meal prepping. Meal prepping, for me, means planning out our menu, grocery shopping, and then spending a couple of hours 1 day a week whipping up all of our meals for the week and tossing them into the freezer until we're ready to use them. Ya'll, I have so much more time on my hands doing things this way AND there's a hell of a lot less dishes.
Throughout this series, I'm going to share with you the recipes I use to on these meal prep days. Hang on tight, your life is about to get so much easier! This week, I'm highlighting my Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs.
This is one of the many freezer meals that's in constant rotation in our household. I honestly make them every single time I meal prep. These scrumptious mozzarella stuffed meatballs are one of the few meals that all 3 of my kids will eat. The twins don't eat chicken (insert dramatic eye roll here) so I've had to step up my beef game since they've come to live with us.
The meatballs are made of lean ground beef combined with bread crumbs, eggs, Italian seasonings and little mozzarella balls. You could easily use the mozzarella sticks and cut them to size if you can't find the mozzarella balls. I prefer to use these because they are already the perfect size without me having to cut anything. I try to make things as simple as possible when I'm meal prepping.
I prefer to broil my meatballs rather than cook them in oil on the stove top. It uses much less oil and by lining the pan with aluminum foil the cleanup is much easier.
Tips for Making Freezer Crock Pot Meals:
- Keep an eye on your grocery stores sale flyers and stock up on meat when it's on sale.
- Print off recipes your family likes so you don't have to hunt them down or create a special Pinterest board with all of your favorite freezer meals.
- Label each Ziploc bag with the name of the meal, simple directions and cooking time.
- Make sure you have all of the essentials before you get started- bag holders, gallon size bags, quart size bags, permanent markers, bag holders, and slow cooker liners are great to have on hand.
You can easily serve these meatballs as an appetizer or pile them on top a mound of pasta or zoodles for a hearty meal. They also taste fantastic in meatballs subs! We serve these meatballs with steamed broccoli or green beans to add a little color to our plate. Of course, you can't go wrong with serving Easy to Make Garlic Knots with this yummy dish!
Kitchen Essentials:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef (85%-90%)
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 egg
2 tbsp water
Small mozzarella balls or 6 oz mozzarella cheese cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 cups marinara sauce
Cooking Spray
To Enjoy Now:
1. Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil. Cover the foil in nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine beef, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, egg, and water. Use your hands to mix until well combined.
3. Take approximate 2 tbsp of the meat mixture and roll it into a ball. Press 1 small mozzarella ball into the ball of meat. Surround it completely with meat. Place the meatball on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining meat mixture.
4. Spray the tops of the meatballs with nonstick spray. Broil for 10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.
5. Cover with marinara sauce and serve on a sub roll, pasta, zoodles, or as is.
To Enjoy Later (as a freezer meal):
1. Label a gallon size Ziploc bag with the meals name, directions and cook time.
2. In a large bowl, combine beef, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, egg, and water. Use your hands to mix until well combined.
3. Take approximate 2 tbsp of the meat mixture and roll it into a ball. Press 1 small mozzarella ball into the ball of meat. Surround it completely with meat. Place the meatball in the Ziploc bag.. Repeat with the remaining meat mixture.
3. When ready to prepare, allow the bag to thaw in the fridge overnight.
4. Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil. Cover the foil in nonstick cooking spray. Place the thawed meatballs on top of the foil. Spray the tops of the meatballs with nonstick spray. Broil for 10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.
5. Cover with marinara sauce and serve on a sub roll, pasta, zoodles, or as is.
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