Kids just love making meatballs!
Is it plunging their hands into all that ground meat?
Is it the fact they can get messy and it's OK?
Is the shaping them into big beautiful balls?
Or is it knowing they are making something oh so tasty for themselves and their family?
Look at that 5 year old hand above...if you could have seen the face along with it you would have seen a little face so confident and proud!
These meatballs are extra fun...do you know why?
Hidden in the middle of each meatball is a chunk of mozzarella...so these meatballs have the cheese on the inside!
Mozzarella Sticks are loaded with protein, I always have some on hand for my kids as part of their snack and school lunch choices. My son has never had an interest in trying a meatball - so a couple of years ago I thought I am going to hide a piece of a mozzarella stick (one of his favorite snacks) inside the meatballs to entice him to try one. It just adds some extra flavor and fun! Plus the kids love "hiding" the mozzarella while making the meatballs.
Mozzarella Meatballs
1 pound of ground beef
2 TBS milk
1 large egg
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
3 TBS grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 TBS chopped garlic (optional)
Few dashes of basil or oregano (optional)
3 mozzarella sticks cut into 3/4 inch pieces
Sauce
As you can see from the above recipe, you can add all or some of the ingredients depending on the tastes of you/your children.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all of the ingredients except the mozzarella pieces in a large bowl and have at it! Mix it all up with your hands.
Once everything is blended begin shaping into large balls.
Slip 1 piece of mozzarella into the middle of each meatball and reshape into a ball, making sure the cheese is fully covered.
Place meatballs on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove form the oven and place the meatballs into your pot of sauce and simmer for 15minutes.
Serve alone, on a roll or over pasta and Enjoy!
Happy Cooking!
How very fun!
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