I have always loved a good meatball and I used to make them all the time, even frying them in lots and lots of oil (FATTENING)!  Since my little Munchkin started eating real food, I am always looking for something his two little teeth can handle.  So out of laziness, I started buying precooked frozen turkey meatballs and serving him those and of course, I’ve been eating them as well (yuck).  On Monday I stumbled onto a great recipe on Pinterest, which I had been doing a version of for years, and decided to give a shot!  WHAT A HIT!!!!  Hubby, Munchkin, Puppy and I LOVE these now!!!

First off, I must give credit to the recipe that sparked my interested in making meatballs again:

http://www.bakedbyrachel.com/2013/02/chicken-parm-meatballs/comment-page-1/

Second, back in the day, I used to buy bulk turkey sausage (sausage not in the skin), form them into a meatball and insert a piece of mozzarella cheese (fresh preferred) and either fry or bake them!  I am not sure if Munchkin is ready for sausage mix yet, so I tried this new recipe instead and I did mine a bit different, see how:

My recipe:

2lbs of ground chicken

2 large eggs

Italian flavored bread crumbs (use judgement) (for both in the meatballs and to roll them in)

Parmesan cheese (use judgement) (for both in the meatballs and to roll them in)

Dried herbs (I used basil & oregano)

Fresh Mozzarella (either the pearl size or the size bigger works as well or buy a whole ball and cut yourself)

I mixed all my ingredients, formed the meatball around the mozzarella,  rolled them in a mix of breadcrumbs and Parmesan (just like you would w/ chicken cutlets) and baked them for about 25 minutes at 400 degrees.  I served it w/ grilled polenta and my favorite jarred sauce.

This recipe will make anywhere from 12 -18 meatballs depending on how big the cheese is and how big you roll your meatballs.  Took me about 20 minutes to make the meatballs and 25 minutes to bake, best part, they reheat well and can probably stay in the fridge for a few days.  I just made another batch for the weekend!

A tip about polenta, it doesn’t have to be fattening!  I buy the polenta in the sleeve (I actually get mine at Super Wal-Mart, since my local grocery store doesn’t carry it, but you can get in at Trader Joes as well).  I heat up a frying pan, spray w/ non stick cooking spray and cook till crispy and slightly browned on both sides.  Because it’s precooked, I slice off a few pieces and dice it up for Munchkin and he LOVES it.

Another great thing to do with the Polenta is, heat on both sides like mentioned above, top with a dollop of salsa and shredded cheddar, melt the cheese and you have a yummy side dish or appetizer.