If you haven’t jumped on the smoked mozzarella bandwagon, I say it’s never too late! It was an immediately love at first bite. A little goes a long way, and it’s completely underused in dishes.
Cinnamon-flavored tomato sauce may sound strange, but it’s quite common in African and Arabic dishes. Even in the popular Lebanese Kibbeh, there is cinnamon. It adds a completely different depth of dimension that is worth trying.
Stuffed, cheesy meatballs are completely irresistible, and difficult to have only one. Top them off with a marinara sauce unlike the traditional Italian style will take this dish to new heights. Serve either as an appetizer or as a main with a side of salad or veggies. High in protein, and packed with deliciousness, this will instantly become a favorite!
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Moroccan Smoked Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground beef (or turkey)
- 1 Onion, minced
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 2-4 sprigs Parsley, fresh
- 8 oz Smoked Mozzarella
- Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh Cracked Pepper
Moroccan Tomato Sauce
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 26 oz Pomi Strained Tomatoes San Marzano may also be used
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh Cracked Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°. Remove the ground beef (or ground turkey) from the fridge, and let the meat rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes to remove the chill. This prevents tough, cooked meat!
- Into a food processor, add the onion (quartered), a few sprigs of parsley, two garlic cloves, a pinch of kosher salt, and a few rounds of cracked.
- Pulse the food processor a food times until everything is roughly blended. It will become liquidy due to the onions- that's EXACTLY what you want. The liquid from the onion will prevent the meatballs from drying out.
- In a medium bowl, add the meats along with pulsed veggies, ¼ tsp Kosher salt, and ¼ tsp of fresh cracked pepper.
- Using your hand or a spatula, carefully fold and mix the ground meat mixture until all is incorporated. Refrain from over-working the meat. Let it rest while when prepping the smoked mozzarella.
- Cube the smoked mozzarella into ½ inch cubes. Regular mozzarella may also be used, but if you haven't leaped into the smoked mozzarella world, I highly recommend it!
- Scoop some of the meat mixture and flatten it slightly. Add a smoked mozzarella cube in the middle, and cover it with the remaining meat mixture. Roll in your hands a few times to form into a ball. Make sure the cheese cube is completely covered.
- Place the stuffed meatballs on a baking sheet with a cooling rack. If prepping for later, you can simply place them in the freezer for 2 hours before adding them to a ziplock bag for later use. For immediate cooking, drizzle some olive oil over the meatballs, and place the baking sheet of the stuffed meatballs in the oven to cook for 15-20 minutes. Start prepping the sauce while the meatballs are cooking.
Moroccan Tomato Sauce
- In a medium cooking pot, heat up 2 heaping tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add two cinnamon sticks and two garlic cloves. The idea here is to infuse the cooking oil before adding the tomato sauce. Let it slowly cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the Pomi crushed tomato sauce (San Marzano may be used too!). Add ¼ tsp of salt and fresh cracked pepper. Let it simmer over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the meatballs are done cooking, and some of the cheese is oozing out, remove and let it sit out for 5 minutes.
- Remove the cinnamon sticks and garlic cloves using kitchen tongs from the sauce. Taste for seasoning.
- Plate the stuffed meatballs, along with a generous pour of the Moroccan tomato sauce. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, and enjoy either on its own as a main dish or as an appetizer!
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