Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs and Spaghetti

Recipe by: Perfect Italiano

perfectitaliano.com.au

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50 Collected

Difficulty

Easy

Category

Mince

Main Ingredient

Beef

Prep:

30 minutes

Cook:

25 minutes

Serves:

These easy mozzarella-stuffed meatballs have a surprise cheese-stuffed centre. Serve with spaghetti or your favourite pasta for a great family dinner with mince.

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Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs and Spaghetti

Ingredients:

Meatballs

150 g Perfect Italiano™ Mozzarella Cheese, Block
500 g beef mince
1 egg yolk
⅓ cup (35 g) dried packaged breadcrumbs
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp. dried Italian herbs
Salt and pepper, to taste

Pasta Sauce

1 packet (375 g) dried spaghetti
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 (200 g) large brown onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. tomato paste
700 ml tomato passata sauce
⅓ cup (40 g) Perfect Italiano™ Extra Sharp Parmesan, Grated
Fresh basil leaves, to serve

Method:

Meatballs

Cut 20 x 1½ cm cubes from the Mozzarella block. Reserve remaining Mozzarella for another use
To make meatballs, combine all ingredients except Mozzarella in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Roll level tablespoons of mixture to form 20 meatballs
Press one cube of Mozzarella into the centre of each ball, then roll to enclose cheese and reshape into balls. Refrigerate until required

Pasta Sauce

Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water for about 9 - 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain, reserving ¾ cup of the cooking water
Meanwhile, heat half the oil in a large, deep non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add meatballs. Cook, turning occasionally, for about 4 minutes, or until browned all over. Remove from pan
Add onion and remaining oil to pan. Cook, stirring over a medium heat for 3 minutes, or until soft. Stir in paste. Add passata and reserved cooking water. Return meatballs. Bring to the boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until sauce is thickened slightly and meatballs are cooked through. Remove from heat
Serve meatballs and sauce over spaghetti. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and garnish with basil leaves

Tips & Hints:

Replace spaghetti with fettuccine or linguine.
Try adding 1 tsp. dried chilli flakes to sauce for a spicy kick

Shop Coles

Perfect Italiano: Mozzarella Block 300g

Perfect to add mild flavour and authentic stretch to traditional Italian recipes. Has a mild flavour and melts beautifully when you want to enjoy that traditional stretch.

Add to your COLES online shop

Shop Woolworths

Perfect Italiano: Mozzarella Block 300g

Perfect to add mild flavour and authentic stretch to traditional Italian recipes. Has a mild flavour and melts beautifully when you want to enjoy that traditional stretch.

Add to your WOOLWORTHS online shop

Measures

Cup Sizes (Australian)

Cup	Metric
1/4 cup	60ml
1/3 cup	80ml
1/2 cup	125ml
1 cup	250ml

Spoon Sizes (Australian)

Spoon	Metric
1/4 teaspoon	1.25ml
1/2 teaspoon	2.5ml
1 teaspoon	5ml
2 teaspoons	10ml
1 tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons)	20ml

Oven temperatures

Celsius (electric)	Celsius (fan forced)	Fahrenheit	Gas
120º	100º	250º	1	Warm – Very Slow
150º	130º	300º	2	Warm - Slow
160º	140º	325º	3	Moderately Slow
180º	160º	350º	4	Moderate
190º	170º	375º	5	Moderately Hot
200º	180º	400º	6	Hot
240º	220º	475º	7	Very Hot

If you are using a fan-forced oven please note your cooking time may be a little quicker, so a good idea is to check your food a little earlier

Liquid Measures

metric	cup	imperial
30ml		1 fluid ounce
60ml	1/4 cup	2 fluid ounce
80ml	1/3 cup	2 3/4 fluid ounce
100ml		3 1/2 fluid ounce
125ml	1/2 cup	4 fluid ounce
150ml		5 fluid ounce
180ml	3/4 cup	6 fluid ounce
200ml		7 fluid ounce
250ml	1 cup	8 3/4 fluid ounce
310ml	1 1/4 cups	10 1/2 fluid ounce
375ml	1 1/2 cups	13 fluid ounce
430ml	1 3/4 cups	15 fluid ounce
475ml		16 fluid ounce
500ml	2 cups	17 fluid ounce
625ml	2 1/2 cups	21 1/2 fluid ounce
750ml	3 cups	26 fluid ounce
1L	4 cups	35 fluid ounce
1.25L	5 cups	44 fluid ounce
1.5L	6 cups	52 fluid ounce
2L	8 cups	70 fluid ounce
2.5L	10 cups	88 fluid ounce

Dry Weights

10g	1/4 ounce
15g	1/2 ounce
30g	1 ounce
60g	2 ounce
90g	3 ounce
125g	4 ounce (1/4 pound)
155g	5 ounce
185g	6 ounce
220g	7 ounce
250g	8 ounce (1/2 pound)
280g	9 ounce
315g	10 ounce
345g	11 ounce
375g	12 ounce (3/4 pound)
410g	13 ounce
440g	14 ounce
470g	15 ounce
500g (1/2 kg)	16 ounce (1 pound)
750g	24 ounce (1 1/2 pounds)
1kg	32 ounce (2 pounds)
1.5kg	48 ounce (3 pounds)
2kg	64 ounce (4 pounds)

Cup conversions for metric & imperial

Ingredient	1 cup		1/2 cup		1/3 cup		1/4 cup
Breadcrumbs, dry	90g	2 3/4oz	45g	1 1/2oz	30g	1oz	25g	3/4oz
Butter	250g	8oz	125g	4oz	80g	2 1/2oz	60g	2oz
Cheese, shredded/grated	80g	2 1/2oz	40g	1oz	35g	1oz	25g	3/4oz
Choc bits	190g	6oz	95g	3oz	70g	2 1/4oz	55g	1 3/4oz
Coconut, desiccated	85g	2 3/4oz	45g	1 1/2oz	35g	1oz	20g	1/2oz
Flour, plain/self-raising	150g	4 3/4oz	75g	2 1/2oz	50g	1 1/2oz	40g	1 1/2oz
Rice, uncooked (long-grain/basmati/jasmine)	200g	6 1/2oz	100g	3oz	70g	2 1/4oz	50g	1 1/2oz
Sour cream	235g	7 1/2oz	125g	4oz	85g	2 1/2oz	65g	2oz
Sugar, brown – lightly packed	160g	5oz	80g	2 1/2oz	60g	2oz	45g	1 1/2oz
Sugar, brown – firmly packed	200g	6 1/2oz	100g	3oz	70g	2 1/4oz	55g	1 3/4oz
Sugar, caster	220g	7oz	115g	3 3/4oz	80g	2 1/2oz	60g	2oz
sugar, icing	150g	4 3/4oz	80g	2 1/2oz	60g	2oz	45g	1 1/2oz
sugar, white	225g	7oz	110g	3 1/2oz	80g	2 1/2oz	60g	2oz
sultanas	170g	5 1/2oz	90g	3oz	65g	2oz	45g	1 1/2oz
yoghurt	260g	8 1/4oz	130g	4oz	90g	3oz	70g	2 1/4oz

Common Ingredients by Weight

Ingredient (cup)	Metric	Imperial
Plain flour	150g	5 1/2 oz
Self-raising flour	150g	5 1/2 oz
Cornflour	150g	5 1/2 oz
Caster sugar	220g	7 3/4 oz

Brown sugar firmly packed	"220g	7 3/4 oz
White sugar	220g	7 3/4 oz
Icing sugar	160g	5 1/2 oz

Sour cream	235g	8 1/4 oz
Grated cheddar cheese	125g	4 1/2 oz
Grated Parmesan cheese	88g	3 oz
Butter	240g	8 1/2 oz
Yoghurt	280g	10oz
Choc chips	190g	6oz

Rice (cooked)	165g	5 3/4 oz
Rice (uncooked)	200g	7 oz
Couscous (cooked)	200g	7 oz

Ingredient (cup)	Metric	Imperial
Polenta (uncooked)	170g	6 oz
Rolled oats (cooked)	90 g	3 1/4 oz
Fresh breadcrumbs	50 g	1 1/4 oz
Packet breadcrumbs	100g	3 1/2 oz
Cup lentils (uncooked)	200g	7 oz
Dried beans	160g	5 1/2 oz
Pearl barley	220g	7 3/4 oz

Desiccated coconut	90 g	3 1/4 oz
Almond or hazelnut	125g	"4 1/2 oz
Chopped almonds	150g	5 1/4 oz
Chopped walnuts	120g	4 1/4 oz
Sultanas	160g	5 1/2 oz
Fresh herbs	40 g	1 1/2 oz

*Cup weight can change depending on type of herb and whether leaves are whole or chopped.

Length

Millimetres	Inches	(Approx)
3 mm	1/8	inch
6 mm	1/4	inch
8 mm	5/16	inch
10 mm	3/8	inch
13 mm	1/2	inch
15 mm	5/8	inch
19 mm	3/4	inch
22 mm	7/8	inch
30 mm	1	inch
50 mm	2	inches
100 mm	4	inches
250 mm	10	inches
500 mm	19 1/2	inches