mozzarella-stuffed chicken meatballs.
Last week ground chicken breast was on sale – just $2.99 a pound! I know it’s so lame that I get as excited as I do about ground chicken going on sale…and really I’m sure I just need to get a life…but here we are and for right now little things like meeting a client for a lunch meeting and not having snot on my shoulder, or finding poultry on sale, make me happy.
Ok so here’s what I did with the ground chicken:
I mixed it up with some cheese, herbs, bread and an egg…
…and then stuffed the chicken meatballs with mozzarella cheese!
These meatballs are super easy to cook – just pop them in the oven! You don’t need to cook them over the stove, wondering how often to turn them and whether they are done or not. So easy.
I suppose you could eat the meatballs as is or put them on top of pasta. But, I cooked down a can of San Marzano tomatoes (plum tomatoes with added herbs and spices) and then made a homemade pesto so that, in the end, the meatballs sat on top of a tomato pesto sauce.
And here they are! Kid-friendly (though you might have to ditch the pesto for them…or maybe that’s just us), but glammed up a bit for adults too. Enjoy.
A new twist on your classic meatball - with a cheesy surprise inside! Great for kids and adults alike!
Ingredients
- 4 slices sandwich bread, torn into pieces
- splash of milk
- 2 pounds ground chicken or turkey
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 italian parsley leaves, plus 1/2 cup chopped fresh italian parsley
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper
- 20 mozzarella balls or 1 pound ball cut into 20 cubes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus about 1/4 cup
- 1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano plum tomatoes
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Place bread in a small bowl, cover with milk, and let soak for several minutes.
- Place the meat, 2 of the garlic cloves, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, half the grated cheese, an egg, and salt and pepper in a separate bowl.
- Squeeze the liquid from the soaked bread and crumble it as you add it to the bowl. Mix to combine.
- Take a small handful of the meatball mix in your palm, flatten it and place a mozzarella piece into the center. Roll the meat around it, making 20 meatballs total.
- Transfer stuffed meatballs to a rimmed baking sheet, then brush with olive oil and roast 18-20 minutes until firm and brown.
- About 10 minutes before meatballs are done, pour the can of tomatoes into a small skillet and mash with a potato masher or wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper and cook over medium-high heat to thicken.
- Place basil, 1/2 cup parsley leaves, stock, remaining garlic clove, and salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. With the processor running, stream in about 1/4 cup olive oil until a thick paste forms.
- When ready to serve, fold pesto into the tomatoes. Ladle the sauce into shallow bowls and top with meatballs. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
Notes
182 calories per meatball, 12 grams of fat, 4 carbs, 15 grams of protein
Inspired by Rachael Ray.
Total: $10.46, or about $.52 per meatball, based on the prices I look for and typically pay as outline in this spreadsheet.
