September 22, 2021
I love a chance to make anything with marinara. Pizza, spaghetti, meatballs and lasagna. Tomatoes are one of the foods that I am not allergic to, thank God. Plus, having a jar of spaghetti sauce in the pantry is a great way to save a meal.
The other day I bought a pack of fresh mozzarella and was itching to use it! I bought premade meatballs a few weeks ago to use with dinner. The only issue is we all had trouble sleeping that night. It was like each of us in our family had drank a cup of coffee with dinner. There was nothing different with the meal, nothing unusual or changed from any other time that I have made meatballs… except for the premade meatballs. Through the power of deduction, Tyler and I decided we would not have those again; as much as I like to have a cheat meal every once in a while. With two pounds of beef and a pound of pork sausage, you can make a few dozen meatballs, and they won’t make you stay up all night!
I love a chance to make anything with marinara. Pizza, spaghetti, meatballs and lasagna. Tomatoes are one of the foods that I am not allergic to, thank God. Plus, having a jar of spaghetti sauce in the pantry is a great way to save a meal.
The other day I bought a pack of fresh mozzarella and was itching to use it! I bought premade meatballs a few weeks ago to use with dinner. The only issue is we all had trouble sleeping that night. It was like each of us in our family had drank a cup of coffee with dinner. There was nothing different with the meal, nothing unusual or changed from any other time that I have made meatballs… except for the premade meatballs. Through the power of deduction, Tyler and I decided we would not have those again; as much as I like to have a cheat meal every once in a while. With two pounds of beef and a pound of pork sausage, you can make a few dozen meatballs, and they won’t make you stay up all night!
Cost Breakdown of this Meal
2-pound ground beef $8.76
1-pound ground pork $2.39
Fresh Mozzarella $2.65
1 jar marinara $1.09
1 package Conchiglie shells $1.09
1 egg $0.10
Italian seasonings $0.05
Dried Oregano $0.05
1 cup bread crumbs $0.50
Total Cost $16.68
That is $2.38 per serving, with Tyler getting a lunch for work the next day!
This recipe made 24 meatballs! It cost $4.75 for a package that was 32 ounces.
Pre packaged meatballs cost $0.15 an ounce.
My homemade meatballs were a grand total of 52 ounces, 3.5 pounds, and cost $11.85 or $0.22 an ounce. That is just a little bit higher cost, a mere $0.07 for homemade with ingredients that you know.
Why this Recipe Works
Making meatballs from scratch are great because you know, with 100% certainty, what is in your meal.
If you love having your groceries delivered to your door, check out Instacart! The app is free and delivery is unbelievably reasonable. For a free $10.00, use this CODE, and try it! Living in the midst of a Pandemic, with occasional isolations and illness, restrictions, mask mandates and debates, having groceries that you pick delivered to your door is literally a life saver.
$4.75 Bremer Original Meatballs32 oz
Ingredients
Beef And Pork, Water, Textured Soy Flour, Bread Crumbs (wheat Flour), Salt, Corn Syrup Solids, Dehydrated Onions, Parmesan Cheese (pasteurized Part Skim Milk, Salt, Cheese Cultures, Enzymes), Romano Cheese (cultured Cow’s Milk, Enzymes, Salt), Sodium Phosphate, Natural Flavors.
Warnings
Contains: wheat, soy, milk.
Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
Ingredients:
2.5 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground sausage
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Fresh Mozzarella
Pasta
Marinara
Directions:
1. Put a 6-Quart pot half full with water on the stove and turn heat to medium-high to boil the water.
2. In a large bowl, empty ground beef, ground pork sausage and 1 egg.
3. Measure 1 cup bread crumbs and add it to the bowl.
4. Measure 1 teaspoon each oregano and Italian seasoning and add them to the bowl.
5. Mix all of the ingredients with your hands. You won’t want to get messy, but this is the easiest way to blend it completely. With a large bowl that has a silicone non-slip base, mixing the meat and seasonings together is easy because you will not have to hold the bowl!
6. Open the mozzarella package and slice it in half.
7. Spray a 9X13 baking dish with non-stick spray and heat the oven to 375 degrees.
8. With cleaned hands, grab a handful of meat mixture and flatten in your hand.
9. Pick up a piece of mozzarella and place in the center of the meat. Fold up the edges and close the meat around the cheese completely. Place in the baking dish.
10. When the water is boiling, cook the pasta according to the package directions.
11. When all of the meatballs are rolled and in the baking dish, bake for 10-15 minutes or until just browned.
12. Remove baking dish from the oven, and one-by-one place the meatballs into a large saucepan on the stove.
13. Open the jar of spaghetti sauce and pour onto the meatballs and heat the sauce.
14. Carefully, with a mug or heat-safe cup, scoop out a cup-full of pasta water and add it to the sauce pan. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10-15 more minutes.
15. Once the pasta is cooked, pour into a colander in the sink to drain the water. This is the perfect colander and keeps the pasta out from the water splashing on the sink basin. Find one HERE
16. Serve meatballs and sauce over pasta!
After dinner, we had a total of six meatballs left and NO pasta. How crazy is that?! Out of twenty four meatballs, we had six left.
Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients:
2.5 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground sausage
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Fresh Mozzarella
Pasta
Marinara
Directions:
1. Put a 6-Quart pot half full with water on the stove and turn heat to medium-high to boil the water.
2. In a large bowl, empty ground beef, ground pork sausage and 1 egg.
3. Measure 1 cup bread crumbs and add it to the bowl.
4. Measure 1 teaspoon each oregano and Italian seasoning and add them to the bowl.
5. Mix all of the ingredients with your hands. You won’t want to get messy, but this is the easiest way to blend it completely.
6. Open the mozzarella package and slice it in half.
7. Spray a 9X13 baking dish with non-stick spray and heat the oven to 375 degrees.
8. With cleaned hands, grab a handful of meat mixture and flatten in your hand.
9. Pick up a piece of mozzarella and place in the center of the meat. Fold up the edges and close the meat around the cheese completely. Place in the baking dish.
10. When the water is boiling, cook the pasta according to the package directions.
11. When all of the meatballs are rolled and in the baking dish, bake for 10-15 minutes or until just browned.
12. Remove baking dish from the oven, and one-by-one place the meatballs into a large saucepan on the stove.
13. Open the jar of spaghetti sauce and pour onto the meatballs and heat the sauce.
14. Carefully, with a mug or heat-safe cup, scoop out a cup-full of pasta water and add it to the sauce pan. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10-15 more minutes.
15. Once the pasta is cooked, pour into a colander in the sink to drain the water.
16. Serve meatballs and sauce over pasta!
