Pepperoni Pizza Meatballs

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This Pizza Meatballs recipe is a family favorite dinner! Mozzarella stuffed meatballs are smothered with and cooked in a pepperoni pizza sauce. One of the best meatball recipes for a kid friendly, comfort food meal!

Pepperoni Pizza Meatballs on a bed of bowtie pasta

Pepperoni Pizza Meatballs

Italian food is a true comfort food in our family.  It never fails that after one of us in the family is sick, a pasta dish smothered in a meaty sauce is usually first on the “to eat” list. Sound strange? Well..we’re a strange family. 🙂 Two of my favorite Italian foods are homemade Italian meatballs and pizza.  And if I can combine the two? I figure I’m golden.

And guess what? These Pepperoni Pizza Meatballs combine two of my favorite things.

pasta dinner of mozzarella stuffed meatballs with pepperoni pizza sauce over farfalle pasta

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

At first glance, these pizza meatballs look like normal, every day meatballs. But…as soon as you cut inside one you’ll see that wonderful melted mozzarella peeking out.  Combine that cheese with some sliced pepperoni in the homemade pizza sauce and I’m pretty sure you’re going to decide this is one of your new favorite meals.

 

large homemade Italian meatballs stuffed with mozzarella cheese and covered with pepperoni sauce

How to Cook Meatballs

For this specific recipe, we browned the meatballs in olive oil so they browned easily and nicely.  Then we added two tablespoons of the olive oil to our pizza sauce to enhance the flavor. The kids gobbled the pizza meatballs and asked for more.  You know that is the sign of a good recipe!

dinner fork holding a cheese stuffed meatball. A large amount of mozzarella cheese is oozing from the meatball

Pepperoni Pizza Meatballs on a plate with pasta
Pepperoni Pizza Meatballs on a plate with pasta

Pepperoni Pizza Meatballs (Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs)

5 from 1 vote
Pepperoni pizza meatballs are a family favorite dinner! Mozzarella stuffed meatballs smothered with and cooked in a pepperoni pizza sauce.
Servings 12 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

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Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound lean ground sirloin
  • 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 ounce block of mozzarella cheese cut into 12 bite-size cubes
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Pizza Sauce:

  • 1 28 oz can tomato puree
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup chopped pepperoni

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl, combine the ground sirloin, bread crumbs, milk, onion powder, garlic salt and pepper. Mix well. Separate the mixture into 12 large meatballs. For each meatball, slightly flatten the meat in the palm of your hand. Place 1 cube of cheese in the center of the flattened meatball and then form the meat around the cheese cube. Make sure the cheese is completely covered with the meat mixture.
  • Place the flour in a small bowl. Roll each meatball in the flour to lightly coat the outside. Heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the meatballs and brown them on all sides.
  • While the meatballs are browning, combine all of the ingredients for the pizza sauce in a bowl and stir to mix in the spices.
  • If there is excess fat in the pan after the meatballs have browned, drain the fat. (We used lean meat and didn't have any fat in the bottom of the pan.) Add the pizza sauce to the meatballs and heat it until boiling. Reduce the heat to medium low and cover the pan. Simmer the meatballs for 20-25 minutes. The time depends on how brown they got initially and how big the meatballs are, so be sure to check inside the meatballs to check if they are browned through.
  • Serve over rice, pasta or on a hoagie bun.

Notes

This recipe can easily be doubled. This is a good crockpot meal, too. After the meatballs are cooked, place them in a slow cooker and cover them with sauce. Set the temperature to low.

Nutrition

Serving: 135g | Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 12g
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Calories 207
Keyword Italian meatballs, mozarella stuffed meatballs, pizza meatballs

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About JulieJulie Clark

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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Fun size wife
8 years ago

5 stars
Those look so good! I can imagine the fragrance in the house with those cooking. The pasta would never get cooked, pasta, what pasta? A great entree for cold weather- thanks, Lizzy!

Cindy @ Hun... What's for Dinner?
10 years ago

Oh goodness these meatballs are fantastic. Love all that ooey gooey cheese inside. Thanks for sharing at Simple Supper Tuesday.

angie
10 years ago

oh yummy would please the entire family for sure
come see me angie @ annies home (http://shopannies.blogspot.com)

Blair @ The Seasoned Mom
10 years ago

These look great! Two of my kids’ favorite meals are meatballs and pizza as well, so I know they will LOVE these! Thanks for sharing. 🙂