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These mozzarella stuffed meatballs are juicy, flavorful, and baked with a gooey cheese center that melts in every bite. Made with simple pantry ingredients and ready in about 30 minutes, they’re the perfect upgrade to any pasta dinner or meatball sub. Use ground beef or swap in ground turkey for a lighter version.
If you love homemade meatballs, try my Easy Homemade Meatballs for a classic version or Parmesan Meatballs baked in sauce and cheese.
3 Tips That Make or Break This Recipe
A few quick tips to make sure these come out perfectly every time.
- Use a block of mozzarella, not fresh or string cheese. Fresh mozzarella (the kind sold in liquid) is too soft and watery, and string cheese doesn’t melt as well. A standard block of low-moisture mozzarella gives you the best gooey, stretchy center.
- Don’t overmix the meat. Gently combine the ingredients with your hands just until everything is incorporated. Overmixing makes meatballs dense and tough instead of tender and juicy.
- Seal the cheese completely inside. Make sure the meat fully surrounds each cheese cube with no gaps or thin spots. If the cheese is exposed, it will leak out during baking instead of staying melty inside.
RECIPE WALK-THROUGH
How to Make Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
These come together fast. You’ll mix the meat, stuff them with cheese, and bake until golden. The whole process takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.
Step 1: Prep the Baking Sheet
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray (or use parchment paper).Â
The foil makes cleanup much easier since the marinara in the meat mixture tends to caramelize on the pan.
Step 2: Mix the Meatball Mixture
Add ground beef, bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, marinara sauce, egg, salt, and Italian seasoning to a large mixing bowl.
Use your hands to gently combine everything until just mixed. You should still see some texture in the meat, not a smooth paste.
- Hands work best here. A spoon can overwork the meat. Just gently squish and fold the mixture a few times until the seasonings are evenly distributed.
Step 3: Stuff with Mozzarella
Cut the mozzarella into roughly ½-inch cubes. Take a portion of the meat mixture (about 2 tablespoons or use a large cookie scoop) and flatten it slightly in your palm. Press a cheese cube into the center, then roll the meat around it until the cheese is completely sealed inside.
Place each meatball on the prepared baking sheet about an inch apart so air can circulate.
- Keep the cheese cubes small. If they’re too large, it’s harder to seal the meat around them and the cheese is more likely to leak out during baking.
Step 4: Bake Until Golden
Bake at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are golden brown on the outside and cooked through.Â
Cooking time depends on the size of your meatballs, so check them around 15 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 160°F.
Step 5: Serve
Serve the meatballs over your favorite pasta with warmed marinara sauce. When you cut into one, the melty mozzarella center is the best part.
These also make incredible meatball subs. Pile them onto crusty hoagie rolls, spoon extra marinara over the top, and add a layer of melted mozzarella or provolone.
Try them with my Turkey Meatball Subs method for the full sandwich treatment.
What to Serve with Stuffed Meatballs
These meatballs are perfect over any pasta, from spaghetti to rotini to penne. They also make amazing meatball subs on crusty rolls with extra sauce and melted cheese.
Serve them with Homemade Spaghetti Sauce, Homemade Marinara Sauce, or your favorite jarred sauce.Â
Add a side of Cheesy Garlic Bread for a complete meal.
For easy pasta pairings, try:
Storage Tips
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerator: Store leftover meatballs in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 to 5 days.
Freezing: Let the meatballs cool completely, then place them on a baking sheet and freeze until solid (about 1 to 2 hours). Transfer the frozen meatballs to a freezer bag. Freezing them individually first keeps them from sticking together. They’ll keep for up to 3 months.
Reheating: Thaw frozen meatballs in the fridge overnight. Reheat in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes, in the microwave, or drop them directly into a bubbling pot of tomato sauce and simmer until heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of cheese works best for stuffing meatballs?
Low-moisture mozzarella from a block works best. It melts into that classic gooey, stretchy center without releasing too much moisture. Avoid fresh mozzarella (too wet) and string cheese (doesn’t melt as smoothly). You could also try provolone or pepper jack for a different flavor.
How do I keep the cheese from leaking out?
The key is making sure the meat completely surrounds the cheese cube with no thin spots or gaps. Use small cheese cubes (about ½ inch) so there’s enough meat to fully seal them. If you notice any cracks after rolling, just smooth the meat over them with your fingers.
Can I cook stuffed meatballs in a frying pan instead of baking?
Yes, you can pan-fry them in a skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally until browned on all sides and cooked through (about 12 to 15 minutes). Just be gentle when turning so the cheese stays sealed inside. Baking is easier for hands-off cooking and more consistent results.
Can I use ground turkey instead of beef?
Absolutely. Ground turkey works well in this recipe. The meatballs will be a bit leaner, so they may be slightly less juicy. You can add an extra tablespoon of marinara sauce or a splash of milk to the mixture to help keep them moist.
More Meatball Recipes
- Easy Homemade Meatballs
- Turkey Meatball Subs
- Swedish Meatballs
- Meatballs and Gravy
- BBQ Meatballs
- Spicy Cranberry Barbecue Meatballs
Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
Equipment
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Large mixing bowl
- Large cookie scoop (optional, for even sizing)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey)
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons marinara sauce (or your favorite spaghetti sauce)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese (from a block) cut into 1/2-inch cubes
For serving:
- Marinara sauce, warmed
- Cooked pasta (spaghetti, rotini, or penne) or sub rolls
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Make the meatball mixture. Add ground beef, bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, marinara sauce, egg, salt, and Italian seasoning to a large bowl. Mix gently with your hands until just combined. Do not overmix or the meatballs will be dense.
- Cut the cheese. Cut the mozzarella block into roughly ½-inch cubes. You'll need about 20 cubes.
- Stuff the meatballs. Using a large cookie scoop or about 2 tablespoons of mixture, take a portion of meat and flatten it slightly in your palm. Place one cheese cube in the center. Wrap and roll the meat around the cheese until it's completely sealed with no gaps. Place on the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Repeat with remaining mixture and cheese.
- Bake. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until meatballs are golden brown on the outside and cooked through (160°F internal temperature). Check at 15 minutes, as cooking time varies with size.
- Serve. Serve over cooked pasta with warmed marinara sauce, or stuff into sub rolls with extra sauce and cheese for meatball subs.
Notes
- Use low-moisture mozzarella from a block (not fresh mozzarella or string cheese). It melts into a gooey, stretchy center without releasing excess moisture.
- Keep cheese cubes around ½ inch so there’s enough meat to seal around them.
- You can also try provolone or pepper jack for a different flavor.
- Use your hands for mixing, not a spoon. Hands are gentler and less likely to overwork the meat.
- Make sure the meat fully seals around each cheese cube with no thin spots. Exposed cheese will leak during baking.
- A large cookie scoop makes evenly sized meatballs that cook at the same rate.
- Ground turkey: Swap ground turkey for beef for a lighter option. Add an extra tablespoon of marinara sauce or a splash of milk to the mixture to keep them moist.
- Bread crumbs: Panko or Italian-style bread crumbs both work well.
- Refrigerator: Store in a sealed container for up to 4 to 5 days.
- Freezing: Cool completely, freeze on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Keeps for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat at 350°F for about 10 minutes, in the microwave, or simmer directly in a pot of warm marinara sauce.
- This recipe makes about 20 meatballs. Nutritional information is per meatball.
- For meatball subs, pile 3 to 4 meatballs onto a hoagie or sub roll, spoon marinara over the top, and add a layer of melted mozzarella or provolone.
- Internal temperature should reach 160°F for food safety.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
I make this recipe fairly often. It is wonderful but my family trick has always been to peel a white onion and let it simmer the entire time. Adds amazing flavor and just make sure you get any onion peels out. The kicker is to form your meatballs now and drop them into the sauce once it’s simmering. The meatballs will cook on the sauce, with gentle simmering, and be ready to eat within 2 hours or so. Remember, the longer they can simmer, the flavor just sets in.
Do you use fresh mozzarella or string cheese?
Hi Tracey, You should use a block of Mozzarella for best results. Fresh Mozzarella is usually sold in a liquid and is very soft and pliable, and string cheese doesn’t melt as well. I’ll be updating the post to make it more clear, but I hope this helps!
Me & my husband and our families love these meatballs! We have made them many times! Here’s my question: Do you know how many calories are in each meatball? 85 kcal doesn’t seem correct if you ask me. Thanks
Hi Mikaela, It’s actually 76 calories per meatball. We use a nutritional calculator so it’s as close as we can get.
Can frozen meatballs work with this recipe?
Unfortunately no, you’d have to make them fresh in order to stuff them with the cheese.
What is the correct baking temp for these? The text above says to be sure to preheat oven to 350, but the recipe states 400?
It’s 400 degrees.