Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs in Quick Marinara Sauce

In a bowl combine ground meat, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, dried basil, salt and some pepper. Mix with your hands until the mixture comes together but don’t overmix. Take about 1/4 cup of the meat mixture, flatten it in your palm, put 1 cube of mozzarella in the middle and shape it into a meatball. Repeat with the rest of the meat mixture and cheese.

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, heat up the olive oil until nice and hot. Drop in the meatballs and brown on all sides; don’t worry if they are not cooked all the way through. Transfer the browned meatballs to a plate. Add the onions and garlic to the Dutch oven, scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and cook for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally. Add in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and all the seasonings (just not the fresh basil), bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 3 0minutes. Add the meatballs and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Add the fresh basil. Serve over cooked pasta.