Nothing is more Italian than meatballs and these little mozzarella stuffed meatballs, with a combination of beef and pork, are not only stuffed with cheese but wrapped in kale. A cheesy delight with a little bit of healthy!
⅓cupItalian-seasoned bread crumbs(use gluten free if needed)
¼cupParmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese,grated
½teaspoonItalian seasoning
½teaspoonoregano
1teaspoonfennel seed
1-½teaspoondried minced onions
1teaspoonsalt
¼teaspoonblack pepper
¼cupmilk
1egg,beaten
½teaspoonWorcestershire sauce
½-3/4cupshredded mozzarella
Remaining Ingredients
12large flat-edged kale leaves
1 24-ozjar favorite spaghetti sauce
1-½cupsshredded mozzarella
½cupParmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese,grated
Pinchof Italian seasoning,oregano and garlic salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
To make meatballs, combine all ingredients but mozzarella cheese. Mix well with hands to make sure ground beef gets mixed well with the sausage. (I used Italian sausage links and squeezed the meat from the casing.)
Roll into 12 large meatballs and make a depression in the center. Place a small amount of shredded mozzarella in the depression and roll meat back into ball completely surrounding cheese. Make sure it is sealed well so cheese remains in the center after cooking.
Place on prepared cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove to plate, scraping away any fat, and placing any oozing cheese back on top of meatball.
Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x11-inch baking dish by spraying with non-stick spray and pouring ½ cup spaghetti sauce into bottom of dish. Set aside.
Pick the largest kale leaves out of the bunch and rinse well. Trim the thickest part of the stem from the bottom. If your kale leaves are anything like mine, you may have to cut the thicker stem out of the center another 3-4" up the leaf.
Taking a meatball, place it in the center of a leaf and roll the leaf around it. Place it seam-side down into prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining kale leaves and meatballs.
Top with 2 cups of spaghetti sauce and shredded and grated cheeses. Sprinkle seasonings on top.
Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese has melted and top is brown.