Dinner Tonight: Provolone Stuffed Meatballs

These meatballs are very similar to my Roasted Florentine Meatballs but have a gooey, cheesy Provolone center instead.  If you think a meatball is good ,wait until you have one stuffed with cheese.  That takes it to a whole other level!

1 pound ground beef (or use ground chicken or turkey)

1/2 onion, grated

4 cloves garlic, grated

1 cup Panko (which is Japanese breadcrumbs but feel free to substitute with your favorite breadcrumbs)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

2 eggs, beaten

2 splashes milk

1 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper (optional)

4-6 ounces Provolone cheese

Lots of salt and pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

**Before we start…let’s talk about grating your onion and garlic…for these meatballs, I really want the cheese to shine, so I don’t want the chunky texture of pieces of onion and/or garlic.  I take my hand grater and actually just grate the onion and garlic right over the mixing bowl.  This will add a ton of moisture to your meatball mixture as well because the onion will be so fine when it goes in there and the onion juice will really shine.  However, if you don’t have a hand grater or just prefer to chop, go for it.  It will be just as delicious!

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, onion, garlic, Panko, Parmesan, eggs, milk, crushed red pepper and lots of S&P.  As you roll one into a ball, take a piece of your provolone and stick it in the center, rolling the meat mixture all the way around it and then place on a lightly greased baking pan (I always line with foil for easy clean up!).  Drizzle about a tablespoon of EVOO over all of the balls.  Roast in the oven about 20 minutes or until brown.

Serve meatballs over spaghetti or have them as individual appetizers.  Enjoy!

The cheesy center is divine to bite into!  And as always…you could Mix and Match this up like crazy by using different types of cheeses.  Have a great dinner!