This is actually quite similar to my first pork meatball attempt. However, I ommited the chillies and added something else…cheese!
Specifically, cream cheese which I had cut into cubes and stuffed into the middle of the meatball. It was awesome!!!
I wasn’t really into cheese stuffed meatballs at restaurants because they tend to use gooey cheese which you could hardly taste after cooking. Cream cheese holds it form very well though, and gave the meatballs a nice, interesting, creamy texture.
# – Stuffed pork meatballs, in the making :D
For the meatballs:
- 500 grams of pork mince
- 5 strands of long beans or French beans, finely chopped
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 3 tablespoon of mustard powder
- 80 grams of bread crumbs
- 1/2 tablespoon of salt
- 100 grams of cream cheese, cut into cubes
For the tomato sauce:
- 2 cans of plum tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon of thyme
- 1 tablespoon of basil
- 2 tablespoon of sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon of salt
- 300 grams of pasta
# – First, throw the diced onion and long beans in a bowl.
# – Followed the pork mince.
# – And then the bread crumbs.
# – Sprinkle mustard powder all over.
# – Don’t forget the salt as well.
# – Using your finger, knead the mixture until everything’s combined.
# – To form the meatball, get a clump of mince, flatten it then place a couple of cream cheese cubes in the middle.
# – Then cover it up and form a ball. Kind of like making glutinous rice balls.
# – Heat up oil in preferably a non-stick pan, place the balls in it to brown. Don’t crowd the pan so that the balls will cook evenly.
# – After a few minutes, turn the balls around to cook the other side. Turn them occasionally so that all sides are browned evenly. After all the meatballs are browned, set aside.
# – Now, to make the tomato sauce. In another pan, brown some onions and then dump in two cans of plum tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes if they’re not already cut. Throw in the thyme.
# – Followed by basil. I used dried herbs but you can of course substitute with fresh herbs :)
# – Stir in the sugar to offset the tang.
# – Then, dump in all the meatballs to simmer for a further 10 minutes. Make sure all the balls are evenly coated by the tomato sauce.
# – In the meantime, cook 300 grams of pasta according to the instructions on packet.
# – When pasta’s done, drain it, serve on a plate and pour the tomato sauce and meatballs over it. Stuffed pork meatballs pasta, DONE! This recipe serves 4.
# – Cut into the ball…
The pork meatballs were very well seasoned with a creamy middle. I love it cause I could taste the cheese, which is a pleasant contrast from the dense, juicy meat. BF was shooting me loving looks everytime he took a bite :D
I think this was my better attempt with pork meatballs (compared to my first experience) because the balls really held their shapes.
I think it’s because the mince were a tad on the fatty side…which really helped the meatball in holding its spherical form. So if you’re looking to make pork meatballs, try to buy mince that are interspersed with a lot of lard :D