Cheese-Stuffed Meatballs; stag 1; hunters 0

It seems like the entire world has been on a ‘cheese-stuffed’ or ‘bacon’ trend lately. (Cheese-stuffed bacon?)

Maybe that’s just the entire world of food bloggers / Pinterest / Instagram.

To be honest, I really (now) prefer to eat cheese the European way: a few small wedges with the last bit of red wine after dinner.

Or the other European way: with an array of charcuterie and fresh bread for an impromptu lunch or picnic, also with a bit of red wine.

Still…. I couldn’t resist the idea of sticking some cheese into a meatball. The idea of biting into warm cheese in the middle of savory beef had a lot of appeal.

And it was easy.

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Cheese-Stuffed Meatballs

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Everyone likes a bit of cheese…. A nice surprise in these easy meatballs. I used white cheddar but any flavorful semi-hard cheese would work. 

• Author: Katie
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x
• Category: Beef

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• Meatballs:
• 12oz (360gr) ground beef
• 2 tbs bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1 tbs Dijon-style mustard
• 1 tbs ketchup
• 1 tbs red wine
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 16 cubes of semi-hard cheese, between 1/4 – 1/2″ (1cm) (cheddar, gouda)
• Sauce:
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 cups (15oz, 450gr) tomatoes, peeled, chopped, all juices reserved
• 1/4 cup (2.5oz, 70gr) tomato paste
• 1/4 cup (2oz, 600ml) red wine
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 4oz (120gr) tagliatelle

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Instructions

• Cook pasta according to package directions. 
• Meatballs:
• In medium bowl lightly beat the egg with a fork.
• Add remaining ingredients for meatballs, except beef and cheese, and mix well.
• Add beef and mix well.
• Divide the mixture into 4 equal parts, and each part into 4 equal parts for 16 meatballs.
• Wrap 1 part meat around 1 cube of cheese, forming securely. Set aside.
• Sauce:
• Heat 1 tbs oil in large nonstick skillet.
• Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes.
• Add garlic, paprika, chili powder, and sauté for 5 minutes longer
• Add tomatoes, all juices, soy sauce, wine, herbs and bring to a simmer.
• Stir in tomato paste.
• When simmering again, add the meatballs, cover and cook 10 minutes.
• Uncover, gently turn the meatballs, and continue to cook, uncovered, until sauce thickens and meatballs are done, about 10 minutes longer. 
• Spoon over tagliatelle and serve

Notes

If you are using dried pasta, add it to boiling, salted water when you turn the meatballs so that it’s done just as the meatballs finish.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/2 recipe
• Calories: 959
• Sugar: 16.1 g
• Sodium: 1125.9 mg
• Fat: 38.9 g
• Saturated Fat: 17.2 g
• Trans Fat: 0.8 g
• Carbohydrates: 76.1 g
• Fiber: 8.4 g
• Protein: 68.8 g
• Cholesterol: 260 mg

Keywords: meatballs, tomato sauce, pasta

For totally different flavors: Teriyaki Meatballs

Like most people, I have been watching and / or reading about world events lately.

Like most people, I find it all rather terrifying / concerning / depressing.

I thought I would share one piece of ‘news’ that I read today that made me hope for a time when, once again, this would be headline news…. Not because of its importance, but because the rest of the world was less newsworthy.

It’s hunting season in France. In a small town in the north of France, hunters, with their dogs, chased a stag into a town.

The stag ran, terrified, through the streets and parking lots of the town, dodging cars and pedestrians, and finally took refuge inside the train station.

The dogs ran after it, barking madly.

The stag ran out of the station and, exhausted, lay down on the tracks to rest.

Gendarmes were called.

The hunters and dogs were called off.

Trains were stopped all over the area while the stag rested.

Finally, a vet arrived and attempted to shoot the stag with a sedative so he could be safely moved.

Unfortunately, his aim (the vet) was off and, rather than knocking the stag out, the impact of the dart startled him so that he jumped up and over the tracks and barriers. He fled into the woods, unpursued, finally.

He was found a few hours later in the woods, sleeping peacefully (and soundly) in apparent good health with no injuries.

The hunters will be charged with creating a disturbance, causing train delays, and…. for not wearing masks.