Ground Pork Meatballs stuffed with mozzarella and cooked in a rich homemade tomato sauce, a delicious dinner recipe to share with your family. It's an easy dish that can be cooked on the stove top or crockpot, and it's what a comfort food tastes and looks like. If you like Italian food, this recipe is for you!
Meatballs are one of the most popular dishes all over the world, and rightly so. They are absolutely delicious, cooked in any way, with any meat - or a combination. And what's amazing, they can be enjoyed as an appetizer, or main meal.
So, how can we make them even more delicious? Stuff them with some gooey mozzarella cheese, and you are in for a treat! Now again, beef is the popular choice when it comes to meatballs, but how about some ground pork? It's as delicious, trust me! If you can find some good-quality pork mince, you are sure to cook the best meatballs ever.
Stuffing the meatballs with mozzarella is pretty easy, but do make sure you seal them well, otherwise it will ooze while cooking. You can't seal them completely, but as well as you can helps keep the mozzarella inside.
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Ingredients needed
- ground pork - or minced pork, pork mince in the UK
- mozzarella cheese
- onion
- cloves of garlic
- dried mixed herbs
- salt & ground black pepper
- breadcrumbs - either regular breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs
- chopped tomatoes - or plum tomatoes, slightly smashed
- grated parmesan
- stock/broth or water -any stock of your choice
Step-by-step photos and instructions
Meatballs are great, but we can take them to the very next level with some nice herbs - and dried mixed herbs work the best here - a bit of salt and pepper, breadcrumbs, finely chopped onion and garlic, and that's it. You can also grate the onion and garlic if you want a very fine texture, but it's up to you.
For the meatballs
- cut the mozzarella into cubes or use mozzarella pearls
- peel and chop the onion and garlic finely
- in a bowl, add the ground pork, chopped onion, garlic, mixed herbs, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and mix well
- take about a tablespoon of the mixture to shape a ball, then flatten it out and add a cube of mozzarella in the middle
- press the meat around the cheese to fully enclose it and shape it into a ball again
- repeat with the remaining ingredients
- heat up the oil in a large pan, and fry the meatballs lightly - they do not need to be fully cooked at this stage, they will cook further with the tomato sauce
- once they are lightly brown, remove from the pan and set aside
For the homemade tomato sauce
There is no need for store-bought tomato sauce, you can make it at home, and make it better. All you need is chopped tomatoes, garlic, onion, mixed herbs, seasoning, stock and parmesan. And you are left with the most amazing tomato sauce that tastes like heaven.
- in the same pan that the meatballs were fried, add the chopped onion and garlic, and fry gently for 1-2 minutes
- add the chopped tomatoes, broth, seasoning, herbs and parmesan
- arrange the meatballs in the pan over the sauce, cover the pan with a lid, and leave to cook until the sauce is reduced and the meatballs are cooked through
What to serve with meatballs
Pasta with the obvious choice, or the most popular one. But I chose to serve them with mashed potatoes, and they were epic! Basmati rice, bulgur wheat, couscous are also a great choice too.
If you choose to serve them as an appetizer, you can divide the meatballs and sauce into individual small bowls, and serve them like that, they are amazing no matter what!
Other meatball recipes
Looking for more meatball recipes? Check out these ones:
Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs Casserole
Healthy Romanian Meatball Soup with Rice
If you’ve tried these MOZZARELLA-STUFFED PORK MEATBALLS or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Ground Pork Meatballs with Mozzarella
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1 lb ground pork (500 g minced pork)
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon breadcrumbs
For the tomato sauce
- 2 tins chopped tomatoes (400 g X 2, 13 oz X 2)
- 2 tablespoon grated parmesan
- 1 cup stock/broth or water (any stock of your choice)
- 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
Other ingredients
- 1 ball mozzarella, cubed (about 100 g, 3 oz)
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- To make the meatballs, peel and chop the onions and garlic finely, or grate them if you want a finer texture.
- In a bowl add the ground pork, chopped onion and garlic, mixed herbs, seasoning and mix well to combine.
- Cut the mozzarella into small cubes.
- Take about a tablespoon of the pork mixture, shape it into a ball, then flatten it out.
- Add a cube of mozzarella in the middle, then bring the meat around it to fully enclose it, shaping it into a ball again.
- Repeat with the remaining mixture.
- In a pan, heat up one tablespoon of oil, add the meatballs to the pan, and gently fry until lightly brown, the meatballs will not be fully cooked at this stage.
- Once they are brown, remove from the pan and set aside.
- To make the sauce, peel and chop the onion and garlic, and fry them in the same pan the meatballs had been fried, add more oil if necessary.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, broth, parmesan, seasoning and herbs, and transfer the meatballs back to the pan.
- Cover the pan with a lid, and leave to cook until the sauce is reduced and the meatballs are cooked through.
Rachel Tiscareno
You're recipes all look delicious and something I can do! I have a question though: Dried Mixed Herbs. Is that an Italian blend? Oregano? Basil? Thyme? Or just what I like?
Thank you!
Daniela Anderson
Thank you for your comment, l’m glad you like my recipes. Yes, you can use any dried herbs you have, the mixed herbs l have are a mixture of dried oregano, basil and marjoram, but any herb you like would do.