Mozzarella stuffed meatballs are something that I have wanted to make for a while as an appetizer. I love pasta but I am always trying to come up with new, fun and tasty appetizers. Top the meatballs with a mozzarella pearl for aesthetics and place on one of Joseph’s Mini Pita Bread.

Tips & Recommendations:

• Cooking the meatballs – To reduce the amount of grease or oil from the meatballs, place meatballs on a rack that has a baking sheet under it to catch the grease. This will ensure they cook all the way through but don’t sit in the grease while cooking.
• Meatball Size – If you are making these as an appetizer, you want the meatballs on the smaller size so that they can be eaten in one or two bites. However, if you are making these to put in pasta, you can use more meat or double up on the mozzarella. You will just want to ensure you firmly close the meatball around the mozzarella pearl so that it doesn’t ooze out.
• Assembly – Avoid assembling the appetizer too far in advance because the marinara sauce will make the pita bread soggy. You will want to assemble immediately before serving or serve with the marinara on the side for easy dipping.
• Sauce – You want to focal point of this appetizer to be the meatball. In saying that, you don’t want a sauce that overpowers the meatball. Stick with a simple marinara or a pasta sauce that doesn’t have a lot of additives such as Ragu Traditional Pasta Sauce.

INGREDIENTS  

Meatballs

• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 2 Egg
• 3 Garlic Cloves Minced or Pressed
• ⅔ Cup Italian Bread Crumbs or Seasoned Panko
• 4 oz Mozzarella Pearls
• ⅓ Cup Grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Remaining

• 1 Pack Joseph’s MINI Pita Bread
• ½ Cup Marinara
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• Garlic Powder to taste

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Preheat oven to 400°F and spray baking sheet with non-stick spray
• Combine all meatball ingredients in a bowl and combine until eggs are completely absorbed, about 5 minutes.
• Use about 1½ tbsp. of meat ball mixture and roll into ball, press a hole in the middle and place a pearl of mozzarella in the middle. Close hole and roll until shaped.
• Place meatballs on baking sheet about 1 inch apart from one another.
• Cook at 400°F for 15-20 minutes, turning half way through.

Pita Bread

• Lay mini pita bread on a cooling/baking rack, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder.
• Bake at 400°F for 10-15 minutes. Take out and let cool.

Assembly

• Once meatballs cool slightly, using a tooth pick, put one mozzarella pearl on tooth pick and then a meatball, dip the meatball in marinara sauce and place on pita bread.