Stuffed Italian - Mozzarella Meatballs & Gruyere Mushrooms

RECIPE TRIAL:

I love Italian food for so many reasons, but I especially love it because it has so many stuffed foods. Yummy delicious food on the outside -- more yummy (usually cheesy) stuff on the inside. It's all about the layers of goodness with Italian food. I have been wanting to try meatballs stuffed with mozzarella forever. And I love a good sausage meatball. So I came up with these tasty mammoth meatballs.

And on the side? I just had to serve some stuffed mushrooms. Mushrooms are how I get my husband to eat his vegetables or at least something resembling a vegetable. And who can resist these simple stuffed mushrooms? No one I tell you, No one. I used some Alouette and Gruyere for the mushrooms. The Gruyere comes from an artisan cheesemaker in Cedar City for all my Cedar City readers. Nature Hills Farms has some delicious cheeses and one of my faves is her gruyere.

Stuffed Meatballs

1 lb of mild Italian sausage, removed from casings

1/2 lb of ground pork

1/2 Cup of panko bread crumbs

1/4 Cup milk (we used soy milk and they turned out fine)

1 egg

1 Tb Worchestire sauce

1/4 tsp kosher salt (or to taste but the sausage is pretty well seasoned)

2 garlic cloves minced

Few dashes of ground pepper. 

Fresh mozzarella, drained well -- Fresh in the water mozzarella pearls work great. Don't use cheese sticks. The fresh stuff is just better for this recipe.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl (minus the mozzarella) and stir until combined.

Form meatballs by taking approximately 1/4 cup of meat and forming into ball. Place on cookie sheet and form a well in top of each meatball. 

Add mozzarella  pearls to wells. 

Close tops of meatballs around pearls and cook for 35 to 40 minutes until golden on top and no longer pink.

Serve with your favorite marinara sauce (aka gravy) and some pasta. 

Stuffed Gruyere Mushrooms

So easy it is ridiculous.

Mushrooms, however many you want. Stems removed,

Herbed Alouette spread

Grated Gruyere

Heat oven to 425,

Stuff mushroom caps to top with Alouette.

Sprinkle with gruyere.

Place in a baking pan and bake for 10-12 minutes or until gruyere starts to get golden.

Serve warm.

Like I said -- Easy!