• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Best Beef Recipes logo
  • Home
  • Find A Recipe
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • About Best Beef Recipes
  • Follow Us!

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Ground Beef Recipes

    Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

    Published: Jan 6, 2023 Modified: Jan 23, 2023 by Isabel Laessig

    Share

    Share
    Pin5
    Tweet
    Email

    Best Beef Recipes is an Amazon Associate. We receive compensation for purchases made through affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    What's the one way to make a big plate of spaghetti and meatballs even more delicious? Filling the meatballs with melty, creamy cheese, of course! With my Stuffed Meatballs Recipe you'll be serving up incredible cheese stuffed meatballs with only 20 minutes of prep!

    a closeup of a mozzarella stuffed meatball cut in half with mozzarella melted between the two halves, on a plate with more meatballs
    Jump to:
    • Stuffed Meatballs with Mozzarella
    • Stuffed Mozzarella Meatballs Ingredients
    • Meatball Slow Cooker Instructions
    • Cheese Meatballs Tips
    • Meatballs on the Stove
    • Mozzarella Meatballs FAQs
    • What to Serve with Stuffed Meatballs
    • Best Meatball Recipes
    • 📌 Pin it for later!
    • 📋 Recipe

    Stuffed Meatballs with Mozzarella

    Growing up, I was always wild for my mom's spaghetti and meatballs. It's hard to go wrong with homemade spaghetti sauce and fluffy, perfectly seasoned meatballs, after all! And if you know me, you know I love bringing those tastes of home to my own kids, with a little twist of my own to each recipe.

    With this recipe for stuffed meatballs with cheese, I know I've mastered it! Homemade sauce, ultra fluffy and flavorful meatballs just like my mom used to make, and my own twist: melty, delicious cheese stuffed into each meatball to make them extra decadent. It's cozy and luxurious all in one!

    And they're so easy! Just whip up some classic meatballs and stuff them with cheese, add your meatballs in the slow cooker with a quick home made sauce, and voila- the work is done. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the smell of dinner wafting through your home!

    fully cooked mozzarella stuffed meatballs in sauce in a white dish

    Stuffed Mozzarella Meatballs Ingredients

    • Ground beef
    • Ground sausage
    • Breadcrumbs
    • Onion
    • Parmesan
    • Onion powder
    • Garlic powder
    • Thyme
    • Oregano
    • Salt and pepper
    • Eggs
    • Mozzarella (sticks or balls)
    • Milk
    • Parsley

    Sauce for Meatballs Ingredients

    • Crushed tomatoes
    • Onion
    • Garlic
    • Basil
    • Oregano
    • Salt and pepper

    Meatball Slow Cooker Instructions

    1. Add all the sauce ingredients into the slow cooker and stir well, then set to high and cover while prepping the meatballs.
      a pot full of tomato sauce with a hand holding a glass bowl of seasoning over the pot
    2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all meatball ingredients except for the mozzarella cheese. Mix with hands until well combined.
      a glass bowl filled with meatball mixture ingredients being mixed with a spoon
    3. Separate out golfball-sized pieces of the meatball mixture and roll into a ball in your hands.
      hands holding a rolled meatball over a dish of meatball mixture on a white background
    4. Press a piece of mozzarella cheese into the center of the meatball. Mold the meat around the cheese until it's fully enclosed, then roll again to form a ball. Repeat until the meat is used up.
      hands pressing a piece of mozzarella into a meatball over a dish of meatball mixture
    5. Open the slow cooker lid, and set all the meatballs inside and submerge in the sauce completely.
      tomato sauce being poured on a dish of raw stuffed meatballs
    6. Return the lid, and cook on high for 2-2½ hours, or until the meat is fully cooked.
      A white dish of fully cooked mozzarella stuffed meatballs with tongs reaching for a meatball
    7. Serve with sauce, and enjoy!
      a mozzarella stuffed meatball being cut open by a fork and knife on a plate of meatballs

    Cheese Meatballs Tips

    • Don't over-work the meat too much! Too thoroughly mashing and blending the ground meat can make for tougher meatballs, so just mix the meat until it's combined.
    • This recipe can easily be made gluten-free by using a gluten free breadcrumb blend, or making your own breadcrumbs out of your favorite gluten free bread!
    • Mozzarella is a classic choice for stuffed meatballs, but you can use any melty cheese! Cheese sticks come in a variety of types, so choose your favorite. I love using Pepper Jack for a spicier twist, or Colby Jack for a more flavorful cheese.
    • Not a fan of red sauce? Try out these meatballs with my favorite BBQ Sauce for delicious Barbecue Stuffed Meatballs, or change things up by piling the meatballs on a sandwich as a Meatball Sub!

    Meatballs on the Stove

    If you would rather prepare your meatballs on the stove or in the oven, or don't have a crockpot, you can follow the instructions in my Italian Meatball Recipe to make these cheese-stuffed meatballs. Check at the 15 minute mark for doneness.

    Mozzarella Meatballs FAQs

    What is the secret to good meatballs?

    Meatballs are all about the balance of flavor and texture. Using enough binders and fillers like breadcrumbs, parmesan, and milk helps to make sure the texture of the meatballs is light and fluffy while still holding together, and the use of plenty of flavorings like sausage meat, herbs, and spices to keep the flavor bold.

    What helps bind meatballs together?

    Binding together meatballs can be done a number of ways, but a classic way is to use eggs. Eggs are the perfect binder as they only start binding once the meatballs cook, letting you form them into the perfect shape. The addition of gluten from breadcrumbs adds further structure.

    Do eggs make meatballs harder or softer?

    Because eggs serve as a binder in meatballs, you need to be careful not to add too many, as over-binding them can make meatballs dense and spongy- hardly the airy, fluffy meatballs you want! Roughly one egg per pound of meat will make for the perfect meatballs.

    How long should you cook meatballs in the crockpot?

    For stuffed meatballs, cook in the crockpot on high for 2-2½ hours or on low for 6 hours. For unstuffed meatballs, cook on high for 3-4 hours and on low for 8 hours. Unstuffed meatballs have more meat to cook through. Check out my Beef Temperature Chart for more info!

    What to Serve with Stuffed Meatballs

    • Creamy Mushroom Pasta
    • Broccoli Salad
    • Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad
    • Pesto Gnocchi
    • Creamy Duchess Potatoes - best yet, make it with the tomato sauce from your meatballs!

    Best Meatball Recipes

    • Cocktail Meatballs
    • Meatball Seasoning
    • Swedish Meatballs Recipe
    • Italian Meatballs
    • Air Fryer Meatballs
    • Instant Pot Meatballs
    • Meatball Sub
    • Honey Sriracha Meatballs
    a white plate full of mozzarella stuffed meatballs with the front meatball split to show the melted cheese inside

    📌 Pin it for later!

    Did you enjoy this page? Save it on Pinterest for later!

    Share

    Pin

    Did you try this recipe? Leave a comment and a rating below to let us know what you think! We love to hear from you!

    📋 Recipe

    a plate full of meatballs and sauce where the front meatball is split open with mozzarella cheese pulls between the two halves
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

    Served with pasta or on their own, these slow cooker Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs are a delicious and easy go-to dinner!
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time2 hrs 30 mins
    Total Time2 hrs 50 mins
    Course: Main Course, Slow Cooker Beef Recipes
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: mozzarella meatballs, Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs, Stuffed Meatballs, Stuffed Meatballs with Mozzarella
    Servings: 5
    Calories: 782kcal
    Author: Isabel Laessig

    Equipment

    • Slow cooker
    • Large mixing bowl

    Ingredients

    For Meatballs

    • 1 lb. Ground beef
    • 1 lb. Ground sausage mild
    • 1 cup Breadcrumbs
    • ⅓ cup Onion chopped
    • ¼ cup Parmesan
    • 1 teaspoon Onion powder
    • 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon Thyme dried
    • 1 teaspoon Oregano dried
    • ½ teaspoon Salt
    • ½ teaspoon Pepper
    • 2 Eggs
    • 4 sticks Mozzarella string cheese cut into 4-5 pieces each
    • ½ cup Whole milk
    • ½ cup Parsley fresh, chopped

    For Sauce

    • 7 cups Crushed tomato
    • ⅓ cup Onion chopped
    • 2 cloves Garlic crushed
    • 2 teaspoons Basil dried
    • 1 teaspoon Oregano dried
    • ½ teaspoon Salt
    • ½ teaspoon Pepper

    Instructions

    • Add all the sauce ingredients into the slow cooker and stir well, then set to high and cover while prepping the meatballs.
      7 cups Crushed tomato, ⅓ cup Onion, 2 cloves Garlic, 2 teaspoons Basil, 1 teaspoon Oregano, ½ teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Pepper
      a pot full of tomato sauce with a hand holding a glass bowl of seasoning over the pot
    • In a large mixing bowl, combine all meatball ingredients except for the mozzarella cheese. Mix with hands until well combined.
      1 lb. Ground beef, 1 lb. Ground sausage, 1 cup Breadcrumbs, ⅓ cup Onion, ¼ cup Parmesan, 1 teaspoon Onion powder, 1 teaspoon Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Thyme, 1 teaspoon Oregano, ½ teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Pepper, 2 Eggs, ½ cup Whole milk, ½ cup Parsley
      a glass bowl filled with meatball mixture ingredients being mixed with a spoon
    • Separate out golfball sized pieces of the meatball mixture and roll into a ball in your hands.
      hands holding a rolled meatball over a dish of meatball mixture on a white background
    • Press a piece of mozzarella cheese into the center of the meatball. Mold the meat around the cheese until it's fully enclosed, then roll again to form a ball. Repeat until the meat is used up.
      4 sticks Mozzarella string cheese
      hands pressing a piece of mozzarella into a meatball over a dish of meatball mixture
    • Open the slow cooker lid, and set all the meatballs inside and submerge in the cause completely.
      tomato sauce being poured on a dish of raw stuffed meatballs
    • Return the lid, and cook on high for 2-2½ hours, or until the meat is fully cooked.
      A white dish of fully cooked mozzarella stuffed meatballs with tongs reaching for a meatball
    • Serve with sauce, and enjoy!
      a mozzarella stuffed meatball being cut open by a fork and knife on a plate of meatballs

    Notes

    • Don't over-work the meat too much! Too thoroughly mashing and blending the ground meat can make for tougher meatballs, so just mix the meat until it's combined.
    • This recipe can easily be made gluten-free by using a gluten free breadcrumb blend, or making your own breadcrumbs out of your favorite gluten free bread!
    • Mozzarella is a classic choice for stuffed meatballs, but you can use any melty cheese! Cheese sticks come in a variety of types, so choose your favorite. I love using Pepper Jack for a spicier twist, or Colby Jack for a more flavorful cheese.
    • Not a fan of red sauce? Try out these meatballs with BBQ Sauce for delicious Barbecue Stuffed Meatballs, or change things up by piling the meatballs on a sandwich as a Meatball Sub!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 782kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 202mg | Sodium: 1835mg | Potassium: 1679mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 1514IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 322mg | Iron: 10mg

    Share

    Share
    Pin5
    Tweet
    Email
    « Sous Vide Steak
    Homemade Chili »

    About Isabel Laessig

    Isabel Laessig, better known as Family Foodie and the founder of the Sunday Supper Movement, is passionate about food and family! She is the author of the Boujee Steak Cookbook, and makes regular television appearances to spread her mission of bringing Sunday Supper back around the family table in every home.

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a comment or question - we love to hear from you! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Let's Get Social

    • Family Foodie Facebook
    • Sunday Supper Pinterest
    • Sunday Supper Youtube
    • Family Foodie Instagram
    • Family Foodie Tiktok

    Best Beef Dinner Ideas

    • Chuck Roast in the Oven
    • Our Famous Burger Seasoning
    • Air Fryer Steak
    • Birria Tacos Recipe
    • Smoked Brisket Recipe
    • Boneless Prime Rib Recipe

    Footer

    Our Brands

    Best Beef Recipes | Sunday Supper Movement | Easy Sauce Recipes | Best Side Dishes | Best Pork Bites

    About Us

    • Contact Us
    • About Best Beef Recipes
    • Disclosure & Privacy
    • Sign up for our Newsletter!
    sunday supper movement logo

    Best Beef Recipes is part of the Sunday Supper Media publishing family.

    ↑ back to top

    Copyright ©2019-2023 Best Beef Recipes, All Rights Reserved.