Cheese Stuffed Meatballs

If you have ever been to North Italia you know that their meatballs are to die for. I know I know, I don't usually love chain restaurants and I certainly don't typically rave about them - but I can't help it! Anyways, I was craving their meatballs this past weekend and decided to give it a go at home. Of course, they couldn't just be any old regular meatballs- they had to be cheese stuffed! They turned out pretty bomb. Not going to lie, I ate a couple for lunch, and then reheated more for dinner to serve with penne Banza pasta. Big fan of these!

Ingredients:

1 lb. grass fed ground beef

1 egg

1/4 cup chickpea crumbs

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. basil

1/4 tsp. onion powder

8 oz. mozzarella cheese

5 oz. ricotta cheese

1 tbsp. avocado oil

1 24 oz. jar of marinara sauce (linked the one I used!)

Instructions::

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the ground beef, egg, chickpea crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, oregano, basil, and onion powder in a bowl. Mix together well with clean hands - don't over mix! In a small bowl mix together the 2 cheeses. Use the ground beef mixture to form small patties, and place a thumb print in the middle of each. Place about 1 tsp. of the cheese mixture in the middle of each, and form the patties into balls around the cheese. Note: You will not use all the cheese, sit aside the rest for later use.

In a cast iron skillet heat the avocado oil over medium high heat. Place the meatballs in the skillet and let brown for about 3 minutes, then flip to brown on the other side for 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and pour the jar of marinara sauce evenly throughout the pan. Drop the rest of the cheese by the spoonful throughout the pan. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve with the sauce and cheese over pasta or eat alone! Enjoy!