Stuffed Baked 'All American' Meatballs Recipe

"These are just fun. A basic burger - made into a meatball - stuffed with pickles, onions and cheese; and, lightly breaded for a little crunch. Served with a spicy ketchup or a tangy mustard sauce. I love to make these and serve them as appetizers; but you can make them as is, and serve as a main course. Just have fun with them. This recipe makes approximately 28-30 meatballs; but, the recipe for each sauce makes approximately 1 cup - which is just about the right amount for 30 meatballs as well. So, you can either choose 1 sauce; or cut the sauce recipe in half and try both. Or for parties ... just make more meatballs."

Step by Step Method

Step 1

Meatballs ... In a large bowl, add the worcestershire sauce, egg, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic and mix well. Then, in a smaller bowl, add the milk and dip each bread slice for just a couple of seconds - then squeeze out any excess milk. Crumble up the bread into the larger bowl and mix to combine. Last, add the meat and gently mix. Do not over mix as it can make a 'tough' meatball. Cover the meat mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate a couple hours to let all the ingredients meld.

Step 2

Fillings ... Add the pickles, onions, and cheese all together in a small bowl and mix to combine.

Step 3

Meatballs ... You will get approximately 28-30 meatballs for this recipe. If you use a small ice cream scoop it makes it much easier to make them all the same size. Or you can just divide the meat into 5 sections and plan to make approximately 6 meatballs per section. Either way, you want to get all the meatballs about the same size.

Step 4

Make a small indentation in each meatball and add about 1/2 tablespoon of the filling. Press and squeeze the meat around the filling and roll back up. If you like your meatballs, really cheesy ... you can add a bit more cheese.

Step 5

Crust ... Add the sesame seeds and bread crumbs to a small bowl and mix to combine. Roll each meatball in the bread crumb mix; and, then add all the meatballs to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper sprayed with a non-stick spray; cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up.

Step 6

Bake ... Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray the meatballs with olive oil or a non stick spray. I use my atomizer; but you can use any non-stick spray. This will help to brown the crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove and cover with foil to keep warm.