Cheese Stuffed Meatballs and Quick, Easy and Delicious Marinara Sauce

Okay winter is officially moving in! Today on my way to school I couldn't even see the city it had such a thick blanket of fog laying over it! When I got out of my afternoon class the mountains were finally peeking through, blanketed in a fresh coating of snow! While beautiful, it reminds me of how wet and cold I will get again this winter digging my SUV out each day for the next few months! And of all of the out of state students who aren't used to driving in snow and skid all over the roads by the university making driving even more fun! (Sigh . . . . good times)Believe it or not this Italian meal was inspired by German fare!!! Yes these meatballs are something that I ate in Germany all of the time! In Deutschland they are called Frikadellan or Hack Fleisch Kloese and are eaten without sauce. I was fidgeting around in the kitchen and put an Italian spin on them and they turned out really good!

I was seriously wanting to make some straight up German fare but was kind of in a hurry . . . so Italian took over! Plus I absolutely love making marinara sauce . . . I don't know why but it is one of my favorite things to make and is so easy to make from anything in the cupboard! This is a family favorite because it is super easy and delish! (It turns out even better if you listen to Sinatra while making it! . . . oh how my hubby loves walking in the door and hearing oldies! Lucky Guy!)
Cheese Stuffed Meatballs
Recipe by: Emily

1 lb Ground Beef
1/4 cup Bread Crumbs
3 tbsp grated Onion
1 Egg
1 tsp dried Chives
1/2 tsp dry Basil
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 string cheeses cut in 16 chunks, or your favorite cheese cubed.

1.Combine ground beef, 1 egg, bread crumbs, grated onion, chives, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper together.
2. Use a cookie scoop to make even sized meatballs. To stuff the meatballs flatten each meatball a a thick patty in your hand and then place a piece of cheese in the center. Cover the cheese with the meat completely forming a meatball. Place meatballs on a baking sheet and cook in a 350 degree preheated oven for 15 -20 minutes. They bake faster than regular meatballs because of the cheese filling. (The cheese may come out a bit during baking.) These are good alone but I love to serve them with spaghetti and marinara sauce! Enjoy!

Quick, Easy and Delicious Marinara Sauce
Recipe by: Emily

2 14.5 oz cans Italian Stewed Tomatoes
1/2 cup Chopped Onion
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp dried Oregano
1 tsp dried Basil
2 Garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 tsp Sugar
Salt
Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes

1. Saute the chopped onion in the olive oil in a medium sauce until translucent (8-10 minutes). Slightly puree the two cans of Italian Stewed Tomatoes with the minced garlic until chunky. Add all of the tomatoes to the onions. Add the basil, oregano, sugar, tomato paste, salt, pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes to taste. Simmer over medium heat for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to combine. Serve with pasta! Enjoy!

(This sauce freezes very well!)