A slice of delicious meat stuffed with stretchy melty cheese, does it get any better than this? I don’t think so!

How to make mozzarella stuffed meatballs

To the pan, add the olive oil you want to cook the homemade marinara sauce in, and then add half of a small onion(finely chopped). You could just go ahead and add the whole onion if you are not counting carbs.

For about five minutes, saute it then add the chopped fresh parsley, crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, pepper, and garlic. For about 20-30 minutes, all you need to do now is simmer the sauce over low heat while you make the meatballs so you can leave it to cook.

To 400F, preheat your oven and then into a large bowl, crumble the ground pork and beef and sprinkle over the chopped fresh parsley, pepper, Italian seasoning, and salt.

Beat the egg with a fork in a small bowl and then over the ground meat, pour that, and then mix the whole lot together really thoroughly. You might just need to get your hands in there (sorry) if you don’t have a stand mixer with a paddle.

Into small cubes, cut the mozzarella that is a little less than one-inch squares and round each one leaving no gaps, forming a meatball.

Then on a parchment-lined sheet pan, place the meatballs and bake for 15-20 minutes. You might see a little of the cheese leak out but if you made sure not to leave gaps the bulk of it should remain inside the meatballs.

With the marinara sauce and a little sprinkling of fresh parsley/basil, serve the meatballs.

What about the breadcrumbs?

As we are making low-carb meatballs, classic meatballs use breadcrumbs, that’s not an option.

Can you freeze cheese-stuffed meatballs?

Yes, they freeze really well in the marinara sauce. In the fridge, defrost them overnight and then reheat in a covered microwave container(safe).

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Total Carbs: 11 g
Net Carbs: 9 g
Protein: 53 g
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1 lb Lean ground pork
• 0.5 lb Lean ground beef
• 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
• 1 egg
• ONE tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp ground black pepper
• 12 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes

Sauce

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 14 oz crushed tomatoes, canned
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• ONE tbsp fresh parsley/(finely chopped)
• 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Make the Marinara Sauce

1. To a pan, add the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Then add the chopped onion and for five minutes, saute.
3. Next, to the pan, add the fresh parsley, canned crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, black pepper, and chopped garlic.
4. For about 20 – 30 minutes, simmer over low to medium heat while you prepare and cook the meatballs.

Make the Meatballs

1. Preheat your oven to 400F
2. So that the meatballs don’t stick to the pan, line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, mix the seasonings, egg, and meat together.
4. Take a piece of the meat mixture(golf ball sized) and in the middle, place a cut piece of mozzarella then around the cheese, form a meatball until it’s fully enclosed leaving no gaps.
5. Makes about TWELVE meatballs(medium).
6. For 15- 20 minutes, bake in a 400F oven, or until it gets fully cooked through. If the meatballs fully enclose the cheese it should be minimal as a small amount of cheese may leak out.
7. With the marinara sauce and a little sprinkling of fresh parsley/basil, serve the meatballs.