Transform a basic meatball recipe into this delicious stuffed meatball variation! I elevated my mom’s best Sicilian meatballs recipe by filling them with peas and a cube of mozzarella cheese that melts beautifully when you cut into them. Simmer them in a fragrant tomato sauce and enjoy as a main dish.
I took my mother’s meatball recipe and gave it a little twist by filling them with peas and a cube of mozzarella cheese! But I didn’t invent these cheesy stuffed meatballs myself.
My mother long ago described how much she enjoyed these peas and mozzarella stuffed meatballs prepared for her by friends from Palermo and I’ve been meaning to recreate them for a long time now.
Have you noticed how many Sicilian recipes have peas in them? Dear readers, I must admit, your reaction has been mixed!
Some of you have are perplexed by the addition of peas to dishes such as lasagna; anelletti; baked rice casserole or even arancini. While others, like myself, are used to these classic Sicilian dishes with peas.
What can I say? It’s basically a Sicilian thing and, in my opinion, peas with tomato sauce are a perfect match!
To serve stuffed meatballs with mozzarella and peas
The stuffed meatballs simmer in a basic tomato sauce for an hour and infuse it with a wonderful flavor. So what can you do with this fragant sauce? Toss it with pasta of course!
We Italians never serve our meatballs on our pasta! Enjoy pasta with tomato sauce as your first course. The stuffed meatballs are your second course along with a green salad. And don’t forget fresh, crusty bread to mop up that tomato sauce!
Fried vs baked meatballs
Like most of you, I grew up enjoying pan fried meatballs before they were added to the tomato sauce. But even my mother stopped frying her meatballs years ago and instead opted for browning them in the oven before tossing them into the sauce. A healthier not to mention less messy option!
And I’m sure purists will say meatballs must be fried! However, I choose to bake mine just as my mother did. But, if you prefer, feel free to brown the meatballs on all sides in a skillet with olive oil before adding to the simmering tomato sauce.
Ingredient List
- Ground meat: I used beef but you can use any combination of beef, veal or pork
- Fresh breadcrumbs: these are not dry breadcrumbs that you purchase in a can! Remove the crusts from a loaf of day old Italian bread. Tear into small pieces with your hands or pulse a few times in your food processor until you have coarse crumbs.
- Milk: or a combination of milk and water for soaking the breadcrumbs in.
- Grated Pecorino Romano cheese: or Parmigiano if you prefer.
- Eggs
- Freshly chopped parsley
- Garlic: finely minced
- Green peas: I used frozen peas, blanched for 1 minute
- Mozzarella cheese: cut into cubes. Caciocavallo or fontina cheese also work well
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Olive oil
- Tomato passata: puréed tomatoes
The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed printable recipe card.
Step by Step Instructions
Prepare the meatballs
- Remove the crusts from a loaf of day old Italian bread. Tear up the crumb into small pieces with your fingers or add to a food processor and process until you have coarse crumbs.
- Place the bread crumbs in a medium sized bowl, pour milk over them and toss to combine. Set aside.
- Blanch the peas in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine the ground meat, cheese, parsley, garlic, eggs, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Squeeze excess milk from the bread crumbs and add to the meat mixture. Use your hands to gently combine all the ingredients.
- Divide the meat mixture into 16 meatballs (about 1/4 cup per meatball).
- Flatten a meatball in the palm of your hand. Add 1 tbsp. of peas and a cube of cheese in the center.
- Carefully wrap the meat over the filling and roll into a ball.
- Place on the prepared baking sheet and continue filling the remaining meatballs.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
For the tomato sauce
- While the meatballs are baking, prepare a basic tomato sauce.
- In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil on medium heat, add garlic and and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomato passata. Pour about 2 cups of water in the jar to rinse out remaining sauce and add to the sauce pan.
- Add salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a simmer and nestle the baked meatballs in the sauce.
- Let simmer partially covered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- When ready to serve, transfer the meatballs to a large serving bowl. Boil your favorite pasta, toss with the tomato sauce and serve as a first course. Serve meatballs as a second course with tossed salad and/or side vegetable dishes.
Recipe Notes
-Try caciocavallo or fontina cheese in place of mozzarella.
-I prefer frozen peas which retain their bright green color and firm texture, however you may use canned if you prefer.
-Boil your favorite pasta and toss with the sauce to serve as a first course.
-Serve meatballs as a second course with a green salad and fresh bread.
-I honestly don’t recommend it! The secret to my mother’s tender and moist meatballs is fresh breadcrumbs (made from day old bread). Dry breadcrumbs will result in tough meatballs.
-I often turn a whole loaf of Italian bread into breadcrumbs and keep them in the freezer to have on hand anytime I want to make meatballs!
Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days.
-Freeze unbaked meatballs by placing them single file on a baking sheet. When fully frozen transfer them to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen and add to your tomato sauce.
-To freeze baked meatballs: once cooled, place them in a freezer safe container single file with parchment paper separating layers of meatballs . Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and add to your sauce.
Did you try this stuffed meatballs recipe?
Let me know how much you enjoyed them by rating them in the recipe card below!
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Check out more Sicilian recipes with peas!
- Sicilian Lasagna
- Meatball Stew with Peas and Potatoes
- Sicilian Rice Casserole
- Sicilian Arancini
- Anelletti Al Forno with Eggplant
- Pasta with Fava Beans and Peas
- Spring Vegetable Stew with Fava Beans and Peas
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 500 grams ground beef Just over 1 lb. Any combination of ground beef, veal and pork will do
- 3 cups fresh breadcrumbs crumb from day old bread, crusts removed
- 1 cup milk or combination of milk and water, or only water if you prefer
- 1¼ cups Pecorino Romano cheese grated, or Parmigiano cheese if you prefer
- 2 large eggs
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- ½ cup parsley chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup frozen peas blanched for 1 minute
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese cut into cubes
For the tomato sauce
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- red pepper flakes (pepperoncino) optional
- 720 ml tomato passata tomato purée
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the meatballs
- Remove the crusts from a loaf of day old Italian bread. Tear up the crumb into small pieces with your fingers or add to a food processor and process until you have coarse crumbs.
- Place the bread crumbs in a medium sized bowl, pour milk over them and toss to combine. Set aside.
- Blanch the peas in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.In a large bowl combine the ground meat, cheese, parsley, garlic, eggs, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Squeeze excess milk from the bread crumbs and add to the meat mixture. Use your hands to gently combine all the ingredients.
- Divide the meat mixture into 16 meatballs (about 1/4 cup per meatball).
- Flatten a meatball in the palm of your hand. Add 1 tbsp. of peas and a cube of cheese in the center.
- Carefully wrap the meat over the filling and roll into a ball. Place on the prepared baking sheet and continue filling the remaining meatballs.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
Prepare the sauce
- While the meatballs are baking, prepare a basic tomato sauce.
- In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil on medium heat, add garlic and and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomato passata. Pour about 2 cups of water in the jar to rinse out remaining sauce and add to the sauce pan. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
- Bring to a simmer and nestle the baked meatballs in the sauce. Let simmer partially covered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- When ready to serve, transfer the meatballs to a large serving bowl. Boil your favorite pasta, toss with the tomato sauce and serve as a first course. Serve meatballs as a second course with tossed salad and/or side vegetable dishes.
Notes
-I prefer frozen peas which retain their bright green color and firm texture, however you may use canned if you prefer. Can I use dry breadcrumbs instead? -Boil your favorite pasta and toss with the sauce to serve as a first course.
-Serve meatballs as a second course with a green salad and fresh bread. Storage Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days. To Freeze -Freeze unbaked meatballs by placing them single file on a baking sheet. When fully frozen transfer them to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen and add to your tomato sauce.
-To freeze baked meatballs: once cooled, place them in a freezer safe container single file with parchment paper separating layers of meatballs . Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and add to your sauce.
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