Inside-Out Meatballs
Adapted from Ina Garten and Thrillist
Notes
Ina Garten's original recipe calls for veal [1], but that may not readily be available. It's totally fine to just use pork and beef, or any combination of ground meats. You can find Thrillist's instructions here [2].
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 cup fresh crumbs from white or sourdough bread
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs (seasoned or plain)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 extra-large egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound spaghetti
1/2 cup of mozzarella (fresh, balls, sticks, whatever)
2 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions for al dente (this is usually around 7 minutes). Don't forget to salt that water like it's the ocean, and sprinkle some olive oil in there for good measure. While the water is heating up and your spaghetti is cooking, start the meatball mixture.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork, beef, fresh and dry breadcrumbs, parsley, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and egg. You can use a wooden spoon, but it'll go a lot faster if you just smoosh it all together with your (just-washed [3]) hands.
- Separate the meaty mix into however many meatballs you want to make. Bear in mind that you'll need enough of the mixture to form a whole ball over some spaghetti and cheese. I used a spatula to measure out six sections for my meatballs.
- Take a soon-to-be meatball and form it into a cup in your hand. Swirl some spaghetti — it's done now, right? — with a fork and place it gingerly inside. Take a tablespoon-sized amount of the mozzarella and stick it on top of the pasta, then close that lil' meatball right over the pasta pocket. Repeat with all your meatballs.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a nonstick pan. Place each of the meatballs in, letting them brown on one side before rotating. You may need to fry them in shifts.
- Once the meatballs are browned on all sides (they won't be entirely cooked), transfer them to a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. Bake them in the oven for 25-to-30 minutes.
- To plate, you can either serve them individually or on a plush bed of pasta, if you have extra. Spoon your marinara on top, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese and parsley.
Information
- Category
- Pasta, Main Dishes
- Yield
- 4 servings