As I was getting ready for my trip to San Francisco to visit Jason, I wanted to bring along some hearty comfort food, especially because I knew that he wouldn’t have anything in his fridge. So the night before my flight, I decided to make these gorgeous looking cheesy meatballs. The original recipe called for ground chicken but since Jason and I are hardcore meat lovers, I decided to use 80/20 ground beef. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly as is, and I absolutely loved it. The drizzled mayonnaise paired so well with the melted mozzarella and Parmesan, which was topped on each individual meatball. It acted more as a sauce base, so you don’t even need marinara sauce with these. They seriously tasted fantastic by themselves. My proof? Jason managed to eat about 10 of these as soon as we got home!

Ooey Gooey Cheesy Meatballs (adapted from Olga’s Flavor Factory):

Yields 30 meatballs

  • 1 slice bread
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 small onion, grated
  • 1 tablespoon sour cream
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil; then lightly coat the foil with nonstick spray.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the bread until they resemble crumbs.

Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the bread crumbs and toast until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the toasted bread crumbs and milk; let stand until all of the milk is absorbed.

In a large bowl, add the breadcrumb mixture, ground beef, grated onion, sour cream, egg, salt and pepper.

Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. 

Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs and place on onto prepared baking sheet. (I used a small cookie scoop for this.)

 

Drizzle a small amount of mayonnaise on each meatball. (A squeeze bottle or Ziploc bag is perfect for this.)

In a small bowl, combine the mozzarella and Parmesan. Sprinkle each meatball with 1 tablespoon cheese mixture.

Place into oven and bake until the cheese has melted and is slightly golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Broil for an additional 2-5 minutes, or until the cheese has crisped up.

Serve immediately.

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