Spaghetti with Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs
Mozzarella stuffed meatballs are the upgrade you didn’t know your spaghetti needed. With gooey melted cheese in the center of each flavorful meatball, every bite is savory, delicious, and the best part is that they are ready in just around 30 minutes! These are great for meatball sandwiches, served as an appetizer, or with your favorite pasta!
Servings: 5 -6 servings
Calories: 866kcal
Ingredients
Meatballs
- ¼ cup plain bread crumbs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 Tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese plus additional for serving
- 1 egg
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese cut into ½-inch cubes
Pasta
- 1 pound spaghetti
Sauce
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Soak the bread crumbs in the milk in a large bowl for 5 minutes. Add the ground beef, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, parmigiano-reggiano cheese, and egg. Mix to combine.
- Divide into 2 tablespoon size meatballs. Add a cube of mozzarella in the center of each meatball and shape into a ball. Repeat with remaining mozzarella cheese and meat.
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the meatballs to the sauce. Simmer and cook, turning the meatballs partway if they aren't completely covered in sauce, until the meatballs are cooked through.
- Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti noodles in a large pot of salted, boiling water according to package directions until al dente (typically around 8-10 minutes).
- Drain and toss the spaghetti with the meatballs and sauce, then sprinkle with additional Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and chopped parsley to serve.
Notes
- Sometimes if I'm wanting to simplify, I will just use two 28-ounce jars of our favorite Rao's Homemade Marinara sauce instead of making my own.
- Oven-baked approach: If you prefer, you can bake the meatballs in the oven at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 866kcal | Carbohydrates: 101g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 1202mg | Potassium: 1527mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 1145IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 443mg | Iron: 8mg