Cheese Stuffed Meatballs, Ricotta or Mozzarella

I originally made these cheese stuffed meatballs during the pandemic, when everyone in our nation was stressed, locked down and needed to keep busy.

Emotions were flying everywhere and concentrating on anything such as writing a recipe is not easy. Cooking, baking or painting are the only things that bring me some kind of calm. I have to keep my hands busy.

Meatballs stuffed with either mozzarella or ricotta cheese brings a special kind of Italian comfort food. The pandemic is over, but inflation has arrived and ground beef is one of the more affordable foods.

Meatballs make people happy, so make sure to take a look at my list below for all kinds of meatball recipes.

I find my own opinion spouting cheap, but I find my prayers rich. When I feel anxious or see serious matters in the world, I turn it over in my daily prayer group.

Aside from Food, Prayer Helps More

I had a prayer call Monday through Friday at 8:30, which led to a series of miracles. I believe in intercession, which intervenes for others. Intercessors don’t judge; we pray God’s will.

We stand in the gap becoming a defense for the one being prayed for. We discern the need and turn it into prayer. Intercessors usher in the power of reconciliation; because our God is a reconciling God. They understand without prejudice the uniqueness of every person and situation. I have continued the prayer with the same person that started it with me, and that’s quite a story to tell.

Turning to Pray and Comfort Food

After I finish praying I usually go work out and come home to the kitchen for either the bakery or the blog.

Cheese Stuffed Meatballs are the Ultimate Way to Enjoy this Comfort Food

Most of the time, I stuff my meatballs with those little fresh mozzarella balls. Today I made two kinds of cheese stuffed meatballs, making another version with ricotta cheese. I lean a little more towards the ricotta cheese, because that creaminess inside the meatballs is the ultimate comfort food.

The first set of meatballs were stuffed with those seasoned little mozzarella balls you can find in a big tub at Costco. We bought them for a get together and still had half left over. You could use plain mozzarella balls, as I just used what I had.

When I stuffed the meatballs with Ricotta cheese, I first seasoned it with a little pecorino, salt, pepper and parsley. It would be best to drain the ricotta cheese for a few hours first, the way I did in this recipe for ricotta fritters.

How do you stuff meatballs with cheese? Ricotta Cheese, Mozzarella?

The easiest way to stuff meatballs, ensuring the cheese doesn’t spill out when baking  is to stay consistent. I used a ratio of 6 to 1, ground meat to cheese. I like to make things easy, so I used my scale and weighed each meatball to 60 grams or 2.2 ounces and then added the 10 gram mini mozzarella ball for a total of 70 grams. I did the same thing when using the ricotta cheese.

I seasoned the ricotta with a smattering of grated pecorino cheese, parsley, salt and pepper and measured out 10 grams with is a little over a teaspoon. You might not need to do this as you can just judge, but for recipe development sake, I wanted to give you a good guideline.

How do you make Grain Free Italian meatballs?

I didn’t add any kind of filler.  I have learned that if I don’t overcook my meatballs (baking for about 15 minutes only prior to adding to sauce) and baking no higher than a 350 (180 C. ) temperature, I can keep my meatballs moist. Of course, I do add a lot of grated cheese and herbs.

How to Make Tomato Sauce?

You can use my grandmother’s tomato sauce here, or use your own favorite. I use San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes, usually the Cento brand. After many blind taste tests, those tomatoes are the sweetest. Don’t be fooled by cans of tomatoes that say “San Marzano Style.” They will not yield that sweet, juicy tomato, but will be mostly pulp.

What Ground Meat do I use for meatballs?

In this case, I used all beef. Sometimes I like to add in some ground pork, but you could use your favorite ground meat. I’ve used many different types of ground meat in various meatballs as you can see below. If your meat is extra lean, add in a little olive oil.

I like to serve these with a red wine vinegar salad. The acid cuts through the fat. You could put these with pasta, bread or just eat them like this. This is a grain free version and is keto friendly.

More Meatball Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Turkey Meatballs
• Veal Meatballs with Ricotta
• Homemade Italian Meatballs, Grain Free, Paleo
• Lamb Meatballs
• Keto Meatball Sliders
• Ground Chicken Meatballs
• Meatball Soup (Italian Wedding Soup)
• Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Garden Tomato Sauce with Fresh Basil

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