Bacon & Mozarella Stuffed Meatballs

Homemade meatballs are so delicious and easy to make. You can mix it up and really make them your own! These meatballs are a pretty basic recipe with a twist. You can use any ground meat you like. Beef, pork, veal, turkey and chicken. I personally prefer beef meatballs and sometimes I add in ground pork as well. My recipe calls for little fresh mozzarella balls and bacon. When you cut into them you taste that salty bacon and the mozzarella is nice and gooey! They are delicious!

Bacon & Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Ingredients:
Meatballs:
2lbs ground beef (could use 1lb beef & 1lb of pork)
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs
1/2-3/4 cup Romano or Parmesan cheese, finely grated
2 T Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 small onion, grated or very finely chopped
1/4 cup water or milk
1 T olive oil
2 t Italian seasoning
2 t kosher salt
2 t pepper

Extras:
6-8 slices bacon, cooked, chopped in half inch pieces
8-10 oz fresh mozzarella pearl balls
2 T olive oil, for frying

Directions: Preheat oven 350°. In a large mixing bowl add in all the ingredients above for the meatballs. Next using your hands mix meat until fully incorporated with ingredients. Using a large scoop or melon baller form meat into balls. Flatten out the balls and add in 1-2 pearl mozzarella balls and 1-2 pieces of bacon and roll into a ball. The meatballs should be golf ball size. Add to a baking sheet covered with foil. Continue with all the meat.

Options for cooking is either pan fry on the stove or you can bake in the oven. Sometimes I like to sauté in a pan to get a nice brown exterior and then finish baking through in the oven for about 20-25 minutes. To bake in the oven only cook for 30-35 minutes depending on the size. The meatballs should get nice and golden brown. Serve either on their own or with pasta.

Notes: You may need more bacon and mozzarella depending on how big the meatballs are. If you can’t find the pearl balls you can use any other cheese or fresh mozzarella and cut into small pieces.



Roasted Red Potatoes with Rosemary & Romano Cheese

These roasted red potatoes are the perfect side dish for any meal. They are quick to make and come out delicious! I love potatoes. There are so many potatoes out there along with even more ways to cook them. These are simple to make and a great add with any dish or just eat them right out of the bowl (I may or may not have done that. 🙂 )

Roasted Red Potatoes with Rosemary & Romano Cheese

Ingredients:
6-8 medium size red potatoes, washed and quartered
2 T olive oil (more if needed)
3 T butter, melted
1 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
1 t dried rosemary
3 T Romano cheese, grated (optional)
Salt: to taste
Pepper: to taste

Directions: Preheat oven to 400°. Add potatoes to a baking dish. Melt butter in a small bowl, add in rosemary, garlic and onion powder and sprinkle of salt and pepper. Mix well. Drizzle oil and butter over the potatoes and bake in oven 15-20 minutes. Mix potatoes and bake another 15-20 minutes. Add more oil if needed. Remove from oven and season with salt and pepper and toss with Romano cheese and enjoy.

Notes: Cooking times will vary based on ovens. If you want them crisper keep them in longer, if you just want them cooked through adjust the oven times accordingly. Feel free to use more oil. I do feel like it helps with the crispy exterior.

20171122_101644353606577.png