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Start by making your favorite red sauce or just open up a jar and heat the sauce in a saucepan.
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Into a large mixing bowl, add the ground chuck, half of the Parmesan cheese, garlic paste, egg, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and milk.
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Get your (clean) hands in there and thoroughly mix.
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Your next step is to form the meatballs.
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My meatballs are fairly large, a bit smaller than a tennis ball, but you can shape them how you would like.
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The goal is to trap the rice and cheese, as to not expose that surprise.
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Preheat your oven to 375 F.
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Wet your hands with a bit of water.
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Put your rice in a bowl so its handy.
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Take about a quarter cup of the meatball mixture and lay it into the palm of your hand.
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Take about a tablespoon or more of the rice and place it in the middle of the meat.
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Take a pinch of the remaining Parmesan cheese, and place on top of the rice.
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Fold the meat over the rice and cheese, sealing it in the center, and form into a meatball.
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Place meatball onto a large baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining meat mixture.
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When done put the baking sheet into the preheated oven, and cook for about 25-30 minutes.
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Remove the meatballs from the oven and set aside.
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I like to take the cooked meatballs and give them a good sear when they are finished.
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So if you are going to do this ... To a large skillet, on medium heat, add the olive oil.
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Add in some of the meatballs and continue to cook until they are nice and dark on the exterior.
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Set aside and repeat with the remaining meatballs.
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Cook your pasta.
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When you are ready to plate, take some of the pasta and add it to the bottom of a plate, or bowl.
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Add a couple of meatballs, then top with some sauce.
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Shower with a bit more Parmesan cheese, and serve.
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When I plated these for my wife and kids, they were totally surprised.
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They had no clue what was inside, and they were amazed.
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My wife was blown away.
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She said (sorry mom-in-law) that these were the best ever and nothing like her moms and were well, much better.
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So I met the weekday challenge.
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A super tender meatball, that when cut into yielded a nice pocket of rice and cheese.
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And when rubbed into the sauce, well, it was just dang good.
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The next time you are looking to make some meatballs, give this technique a shot.
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Its well worth the extra step.
