String Cheese Meatballs or Making Stuff Up Out of What’s in My Fridge

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Dana brought me home some ground beef today from work and I decided fresh ground beef should be meatballs. My sis-in-law Elina found this recipe for meatballs that was really good. I thought I took it from her, but I couldn’t find it (sensing a trend?) So I made up a recipe out of stuff in my fridge. Like the spinach-artichoke dip, I just had on hand, and the artichokes added a nice surprise crunch amidst the meat and cheese. 

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 egg

2 cloves minced garlic

2 Tbls fresh parsley

2 Tbls spinach-artichoke dip

salt and pepper to taste

3 string cheeses each cut into 6 pieces

1. Combine all ingredients except cheese into a nice gooey, well-combined mass. Separate into 16 equally sized pieces. Wrap each piece around a lump of string cheese. (Or  you can use those medium sized lumps of fresh mozzarella).

2. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 375 degrees. Bake for 10-15 minutes, then turn each one over and cook the opposite side until meat is no longer pink.

I served these ones with short noodles (farfalle, if you want to know) and a jar of red sauce. Again, this was short-notice dinner, so the presentation was not pristine, but the result was delicious.