Mozzarella Stuffed Meatball Bites
Put a twist on classic meatballs – by stuffing ’em with mozzarella! These Mozzarella Stuffed Meatball Bites are a fun combination of meatballs and pizza!
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I don’t know about you, but we like to mix up our meals up around here. Sure, there are some tried-and-true favorite recipes that we’ve been making for years. (I can’t imagine going an entire summer without making my mother-in-law’s Italian Antipasto Salad. Heck, we’ve even made that pasta salad in the dead of winter!) With that said, we do enjoy mixing things up a bit. You know, like putting a fun spin on a favorite family recipe. And that’s what led to these Mozzarella Stuffed Meatball Bites.
The meatball portion of this recipe is my go-to recipe for whenever we want meatballs. Whether it’s for meatball sandwiches or perhaps spaghetti and meatballs, I make sure to keep this recipe close at hand. In fact, we always keep a bag of these meatballs in the freezer. The recipe calls for a ½-pound of ground beef and ½-pound of ground pork. My mother-in-law taught me this little trick years ago, and I’ve been using a combination of beef and pork for these meatballs ever since.
However, unless you go to the butcher counter at the grocery store, it’s pretty hard to find a ½-pound package of either ground pork or beef. I usually end up buying 1 pound of each and making a double batch of meatballs – we eat some right away and the rest go into a freezer bag for those nights when we just don’t want to cook.
Mozzarella Stuffed Meatball Bites
Mozzarella Stuffed Meatball BitesRecently, I decided to take those meatballs and put a fun spin on ’em – by stuffing them with mozzarella! Adding cheese is an almost surefire way to make any recipe better. And let me tell ya’ – these Mozzarella Stuffed Meatball Bites are a winner! Not only are these meatballs delicious, but there is the fun surprise element of finding melted mozzarella hiding inside.
The trick to making these Mozzarella Stuffed Meatball Bites is to make sure the mozzarella is totally inside the meatball before it gets baked. If not, the mozzarella will melt out while it’s in the oven. While you could probably use shredded mozzarella to make these stuffed meatballs, I found Ciliegine (cherry-sized mozzarella balls) to be quite easy.
To make these stuffed meatballs, just divide the meatball mixture into 12 (or 24 if you’re making a double batch) portions. Then flatten each portion in the palm of your hand and place a mozzarella ball on top. From there, just fold the meatball mixture around the mozzarella so that the cheese is completely sealed inside. That’s it.
While mozzarella stuffed meatballs are delicious in their own right, I took one extra step here. Once the meatballs cooled, I wrapped each one in a bit of pizza dough. I brushed an herbed olive oil mixture on top of the dough and sent those meatballs back into the oven. The result is one heck of a tasty meatball! It’s kinda like the meatball truck ran into the pizza truck – I’m telling ya these are a new favorite in our house. I hope you enjoy these Mozzarella Stuffed Meatball Bites as much as we do!
Did you make a batch of these Mozzarella Stuffed Meatball Bites at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version!
Mozzarella Stuffed Meatball Bites
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- ⅓ cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 Tbsp milk
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ medium white onion finely diced
- 8 oz. ground beef
- 8 oz. ground pork
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley minced
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese grated
- 12 cherry-sized mozzarella balls ~4 oz.
For the Bites
- 12 oz. refrigerated pizza dough
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Italian seasonings
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- marinara sauce for dipping
Instructions
For the Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- Using a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs and milk; let soak for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a medium frying pan and place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the diced onions and cook for 6-7 minutes, or until onions begin to soften.
- Transfer onions bowl with bread crumbs. Add all of the remaining meatball ingredients except for mozzarella balls (beef, pork, egg, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, red pepper and Parmesan cheese). Mix until just combined. (Tip: Take care not to overmix or the meatball may be tough.)
- Divide mixture into 12 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, flatten meatball mixture into the palm of your hand. Place a mozzarella ball in the middle and wrap the meatball mixture around the mozzarella. (Note: Take care to ensure the mozzarella ball is completely enclosed inside meatball.) Place meatballs 1” apart on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 23-27 minutes, or until meatballs are fully cooked.
For the Bites
- Divide pizza dough into (12) 1-oz. pieces. Roll each piece into a 3”x3” circle. Place one meatball into middle of each circle and then wrap dough around meatball, pinching edges to seal. Place dough-wrapped meatballs on a clean parchment-lined sheet pan.
- Using a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, Italian seasonings, kosher salt and garlic powder. Brush this mixture evenly on top of each meatball bite.
- Bake at 400°F for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.
Notes
Looking for more tasty meatball recipes? Check out these other favorites:
cant wait to make this soon for me for the meatballs can i use mushrooms and tempeh and vegan cheeses i never had mozzarella stuffed meatball bites before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Hey Ramya! I like your idea of using mushrooms and tempeh for the meatballs – I’ve never made those myself, but I think you could use a vegan meatball recipe combined with this stuffed meatball idea. It would be a fun experiment in the kitchen!
Wow, well these look yummy! More football game fare!
Haha – you know me, Mimi! I love fall football. 🙂 Sometimes it’s more casual appetizer-fare, and sometimes it’s more dinner-fare. These meatballs were fantastic, though. I highly recommend them!!
What a great handheld snack! My kids would definitely enjoy these after their TKD lessons!
I never thought about serving these as a handheld snack! We turned them into dinner with a bit of marinara sauce…but I like where you’re going here, Michelle! 🙂
Another great idea David! These look addicting. 😋 I can see how these mozzarella stuffed meatball bites would be regulars on the meal rotation. Putting it all in the pizza dough is absolutely genius!
Wrapping those meatballs in pizza dough was a last-minute addition…and I’m glad I did! These turned out really well. I wonder if you could make a veggie meatball for the same effect??
oh my word david. you have me drooling here. these sound so delicious! What a fab idea! Must make …
Thanks so much, Sherry! And, yes, you definitely must make these….SO good! 🙂
Stuffing meatballs with mozzarella is a great idea. I mean as if though meatballs weren’t tasty enough on their own, here you’ve gone and stuffed them with cheese and they are inside a delicious pizza dough roll. Double yum!
I initially set out to just make stuffed meatballs…but then I had the idea to wrap ’em up in pizza dough. Best.idea.ever. 🙂 And what’s cool is you can use any meatball recipe here!
David, that’s one heck of a tasty-looking pizza bomb you’ve got there. I’m just afraid I’d be unable to stop popping them in my mouth…
Yeah, it took a lot of self-control while taking these pictures, Ron. 🙂
That’s a great way to mix up your regular menu! Meatballs are always a favorite, but add a little cheese and wrap them in dough and you’ve got a winner!
I hear ya, Kathy! Meatballs are delicious in their own right, but if you stuff ’em with cheese and wrap ’em with pizza dough? Oh man. SO good! 🙂
David, you’re amazing. These would be great at a party.
It’ll be a party in your mouth, Jeff! So.much.flavor!
There has been a lot of football watching going on at my house lately and these cheesy meatball bites would disappear in a flash! Genius to make them with refrigerated pizza dough!
Same here, Marissa – we’ve really enjoyed having football on. Some of the games we actually watch closely, others we just leave on in the background. Either way, these meatballs are a fun idea for either an appetizer or a meal!
I so love these stuffed bites! What a perfect snack, or meal! They remind me of a popular Sri Lankan snack, that also doubles as a meal, stuffed buns. Usually stuffed with a meat and veggies, they are a fav of mine. I love that you used frozen pizza dough for these. Sometimes when I make stuffed buns I’ve used frozen biscuit dough. Next time I’m trying your tip and using frozen pizza dough!
You said it, Shashi! These meatballs could be an appetizer, although we served them with sauce for a meal. I’ve heard of Sri Lankan stuffed buns, but I’ve never had ’em. Perhaps we’ll have to cook together when you come up to the mountains!? Either way, frozen pizza dough is the way to go for buns…the texture is way better!!
Now don’t these looks good! But then how could they not? They combine three of my favorite food items: pizza, meatballs and melted mozzarella… !
Haha! That’s kinda how this recipe came about, Frank – I said to myself, “I wonder if I can just combine all sorts of my favorite things together into one recipe.” 🙂 Give these a shot! (And the cool thing is you can use your own meatball recipe…I’m sure you have a favorite or two!)
Loving that cheesy surpirse in the middle
Haha – thanks, Raymund! I’m never sad about a cheesy surprise.