Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

These baked mozzarella stuffed meatballs are tender, flavorful, and are oozing with gooey cheese in the center!

Baked mozzarella stuffed meatballs

If you love delicious meatball recipes, check out my traditional Italian meatballs or creamy coconut curry chicken meatballs.

Do you know those kinds of meals that hit the soul differently? That’s these mozzarella stuffed meatballs! They are super flavorful, easy to make, freeze well, and go great with 5 minute marinara sauce!

These meatballs are baked with mozzarella pearls stuffed in the center. They are fork tender and each bite includes a bit of the gooey, melted cheese. Incredible.

You’re going to love these

• They are stuffed with gooey, melted cheese. Little mozzarella pearls are stuffed in the center of the meatballs and melt when they are baked. The result is fork-tender meatballs with melty cheese in every bite- scrumptious!
• They are ready in 45 minutes (or less!). These meatballs take only 20 minutes to bake! They are easy and quick to prepare and you could have 50 meatballs ready in 45 minutes!
• They can be frozen. These mozzarella stuffed meatballs freeze well, which makes this a perfect freezer meal. Since this recipe makes about 50 meatballs, you can freeze the rest for multiple meals.

Mozzarella stuffed meatballs ingredients

• Ground beef– I prefer to use 80% lean ground beef for the meatballs because the extra fat adds moisture to the meatballs and makes them ultra tender.
• Ground pork– Beef and pork are combined to make the base of the meatballs.
• Italian breadcrumbs– You can use Italian breadcrumbs or plain breadcrumbs, just be sure to add extra seasoning if you are using plain.
• Eggs– The meatballs are bound with eggs.
• Cheese– Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese are both used in these delicious cheesy meatballs.
• Seasoning– Garlic, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper add loads of flavor to the meatballs.

Chef’s tips

Grate the onion

The secret to super tender and moist meatballs is the grated onion- not chopped. Chopped onion is chunkier and can leave gaps in the meatballs that will dry them out while they bake. Grated onion adds liquid back to the meatballs while giving them flavor. I love using my box grater for this!

Bake in batches

This recipe makes about 50 meatballs, and they all can’t fit on one baking sheet, so you may need to bake these meatballs in batches. Place the raw meatballs in the fridge while the first batch is baking.

How to make baked mozzarella stuffed meatballs

1. Combine the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Add the ground beef, pork, grated onion, eggs, breadcrumbs, grated parmesan cheese, garlic, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together until they are homogeneous.
2. Shape and stuff the meatballs. Use a cookie scooper or a tablespoon to measure out the meatballs. Flatten the meat into a patty, then place a mozzarella pearl in the center. Roll the patty into a ball, making sure the meatballs are fully wrapped around the mozzarella pearl. Place the meatballs on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
3. Bake the meatballs. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the meatballs for 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven and bake the second batch.
4. Serve. Serve these mozzarella stuffed meatballs with marinara sauce and your favorite pasta. Mangia!

How to freeze mozarella stuffed meatballs

Since this recipe makes so many meatballs, it’s a great idea to freeze some for later meals. Let the meatballs cool, then place them in an airtight container or Ziplock bag and place them in the freezer. These meatballs can stay good in the freezer for up to 4 months.

To unthaw the meatballs, remove them from the freezer and place them in the fridge to thaw overnight. You can also place frozen meatballs in a pot of pasta sauce over medium low heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

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