Meatballs Three Ways: Roasted Entrée Meatballs
Skip the pasta and serve entrée meatballs with a surprise inside. Finish with dollops of fresh ricotta. Make sure to keep a loaf of fresh Italian bread for mopping.
Ingredients
- 4 1-inch cubes of Fontina, mozzarella or provolone cheese or 2 hard boiled eggs, halved
- 2 slices prosciutto, sliced in half
- Meatball Base
- Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
- Meatball Sauce
- Crusty bread, for mopping
- Fresh ricotta cheese, for topping
Preparation
Wrap a 1-inch cube of Fontina, mozzarella or provolone cheese or a halved hard boiled egg with half a slice of prosciutto each. Form four large 4-inch meatballs around each piece of cheese or egg.
Arrange the meatballs on cooling rack set over a baking sheet and drizzle with EVOO. Roast until brown and crispy all over in a 400°F oven, 25-30 minutes. Serve one meatball per person in shallow bowls sitting in a pool of tomato sauce, passing crusty bread at the table for mopping.
The cheese and/or egg may also be wrapped in spinach leaves or a combination of spinach and ham. If you’d rather not bother with stuffing the meatballs, roast large meatballs and simply serve with dollops of fresh ricotta cheese alongside or atop the meatballs.
