I have been on a mission to make a different recipe for dinner every night for an entire month. I am in the second week and so far only about half have been…”blog worthy”. I want the content here to be good…in fact, really good! I want for you to be able to take my recipe and have an outcome that has you coming back for more. In order to do that it takes a lot of work. Sometimes it means that I need to make something a few times to get everything just right. I am constantly looking for inspiration and I have more notes in my phone than anyone would ever need. Meatball & Mozzarella Skillet is a combination of a few of my favorite things. I love that it has homemade meatballs but we take a shortcut with the marinara sauce.
My biggest tip to give you when making meatballs is to use a cookie scoop. In order to have them cook evenly it is important that they are all the same size. I have an egg allergy and so I have used olive oil in the place of an egg as the binder but you could absolutely use an egg instead. It is also a good idea to brown the meatballs in two batches because otherwise the pan will overcrowd and bring the temperature down. Also remember when we brown the meatballs we are not cooking them all of the way through. That will happen when we add the sauce.
Meatball & Mozzarella Skillet
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef {I used 93/7}
- 2 cloves garlic {minced}
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese {grated}
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Other Ingredients
- 1 24 oz. jar marinara sauce {I used Barilla}
- 8 slices mozzarella cheese
- 1 tbsp fresh basil {chopped}
- 12 oz. linguine {cooked}
Instructions
- Meatballs: Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Scoop out golf ball sized meatballs {I used an ice cream scoop} and roll in your hands to make completely round.
- Over medium-high heat, brown the meatballs in two batches. You want them to be evenly browned but not cooked all of the way through. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with second batch.
- Sauce: Once all of the meatballs have been browned then turn the heat down to medium-low, add the meatballs back to the pan and pour in the marinara sauce. Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked completely {165 degree internal temperature}.
- Top with mozzarella cheese slices. Cover and simmer until the cheese is melted. Top with chopped basil and serve over cooked linguine.
Notes
- The meatballs freeze well for up to 3 months, I like to make an extra batch and freeze one for later. When ready to use them, just thaw and cook as the recipe directs.
