Cheesy Cheese Stuffed Meatballs

A Two for Tuesday Recipe:

Meatballs are my go to recipe. They are comforting, versatile, delicious, a crowd pleaser, easy and fun to make. It's one of those recipes that requires a lot of hands on work, which to me, is what makes cooking fun! Who needs frozen meatballs when making them fresh is cheaper than buying the pre-packaged stuff and it's fun! I find this recipe to be versatile because the meatballs are vert tasty on their own, but can be paired with basically any sauce to make a great meal. I have paired it with the obvious tomato sauces (delicious by the way), cream sauces, barbecue sauce, slow cooked, anything! You can also omit the stuffed cheese part to have an even more basic meatball that will take you a long way. A few tips for the recipe: for the onions I use my mini food processor instead of mincing them by hand. Why? When you whirl them through the food processor the onion releases their juices that adds a nice flavor and moistness to the beef. I do the same thing with the garlic and believe it or not to the basil. I do this so the basil is the same uniform size, that way no one gets one huge bite of basil. As for the cheese, the day I made this recipe I had exactly this in my fridge, Polly-O string cheese, because my boyfriend enjoys it, so I incorporated the cheese in one of his favorite meals and viola! You can use mozzarella cheese instead or whatever cheese you'd like. This recipe has become a classic in my home already; it's a home run. As I mentioned, it's a crowd pleaser and think about it, who doesn't like meatballs?? Enjoy! 

Makes about 24-28, serves 4

1 lb ground beef

2 eggs, beaten with 1/2 cup of milk

1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1 cup panko

1 small onion, minced or grated

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup minced fresh basil

1 1/2  - 2 Polly-o string cheese

Line a baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil and pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a medium sized bowl, crack eggs and beat with the 1/2 cup of milk. 

Add all the ingredients except the ground beef and polly-o cheese. Mix together.

After all ingredients have been mixed add ground beef (this is to avoid the beef from becoming overworked). 

Blend ingredients with beef. 

Cut the Polly-O cheese and slice into small disks. 

Take the Polly-O cheese disk and form the ground beef into a meatball around the cheese; about the size of a golfball. 

Bake for 30 minutes.

Meatballs will have a nice brown color and may have cheese oozing out of it. 

Serve and enjoy!