Turkey "Swedish" Meatballs

First, I'm officially back! I hope you all enjoyed the remainder of your summer and are getting used to the full schedules again. It was a rough couple of weeks around here with a lot of personal issues to attend to, but I did manage to create a nice backlog of recipes to share with all of you in the coming weeks. I also wanted to let you know that the monthly newsletter will be coming out this afternoon and I have signed on with a new company, Mail Chimp, so be on the lookout for that if you're signed up! Also, this Friday Seafood Frenzy Friday link party will be back up and running after a brief hiatus, so pass the word around and share with your friends. I can't wait to see what's in store.

And now for today's new recipe, Turkey "Swedish" Meatballs, that I posted as a teaser on Facebook last week. I didn't want to keep you hanging on for too long with these~Enjoy! 

Meatball Stromboli

Welcome to Day 4 of my Superbowl appetizers week. Today is a recipe that is so good and simple to make. The best thing about this recipe is that you can make it two ways. The "semi-homemade" way or the "from-scratch" way. 

The "from-scratch" way is to make your own dough, mix and brown your own meatballs, use homemade sauce and shred your own cheese. Though this way is good, it isn't a time saver. 

The "semi-homemade" way is to use frozen or fresh pizza dough from your local supermarket or pizzeria, frozen pre-made meatballs, jar sauce and already shredded cheese. This is what I call the "Oh crap, I've decided to have a last minute get together and have nothing to serve as an appetizer" way because it's THAT easy and quick to make!  

I realized I hadn't made a meatball stromboli before on the blog and thought it would make a fun appetizer for the Superbowl theme this week. So I used a combination of both methods. Frozen pizza dough (which I always have in the freezer), some of those frozen pre-made meatballs (after Rachael's birthday party, the restaurant sent us home with some of the leftover food), homemade sauce (again, I always have some in the freezer) and already shredded mozzarella cheese. Yes, they are a little messy, especially when first coming out of the oven. So allow it to rest for a few minutes before slicing into it. 

Meatball Stromboli
1 lb. Pizza Dough
5 oz. Italian Meatballs, sliced
1/4 c. Marinara Sauce
1/2 c. Mozzarella Cheese, shredded (I used part skim)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
2. Put a little oil on your hands (make sure they're clean!) and spread out the dough on a lightly greased flat surface into a rectangle about ¼” thick.
3. Spread the sauce on top of the dough, leaving a 1/4" border around all sides, then top with the sliced meatballs and cheese. 
4. Gently roll from left to right, sealing the ends by pinching the dough together; then place seam side down on lightly greased baking sheet. 
5. Brush top the top of the loaf with oil and bake for 15-20 minutes or until brown. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing into 1" thick slices. Serves 14.  

*Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories 108, Carbs 16.1g, Fat 2.3g, Protein 5.4g, Fiber .7g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into CalorieCount and may not be 100% accurate. 

Enjoy!

Spicy Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Looking for a new appetizer with a lot of heat to try at your next party? Then these Spicy Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs made with Garlic Head BBQ Sauce are for you! 

If you remember, the kind folks at Garlic Head had sent me their regular sauce a few months ago along with this spicy version. I'm not a huge fan of spicy so I was waiting until I could experiment on a larger crowd than my immediate family. 

My girlfriend, who just turned the big 4-0, was having a big birthday bash and I offered to bring something. Fast forward to the day of the party and I was unexpectedly out most of the day so my wheels were churning as to what I had at home that I could bring...Yes, it is sad that I have a mental picture in my head of all currently stocked food items in my house. I'm telling you, I have a photographic memory when it comes to that stuff, but ask me what I did yesterday and I'm at a loss! :)

Anyway, I knew I had some string cheese and ground beef and thought bite-sized meatballs would be a quick, easy appetizer idea and I was right. It took no time to prepare at all. In fact, I made the meatballs and placed them on the tray, then refrigerated them until right before I left so that they were hot when I arrived. I actually made two batches of this recipe (approx. 80 meatballs) and the last time I looked there were 3 left, so I'm guessing they were a hit! They were especially favored amongst the male guests and everyone loved how the cheese was stuffed inside like a unexpected surprise. 

Spicy Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
1 lb. Ground Beef
1/2 c. Garlic Head Spicy BBQ Sauce
1/4 c. Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs
3 - 2% Mozzarella String Cheese, cut into 14 slices
Parchment Paper

In a bowl, mix the beef, bbq sauce and breadcrumbs until well blended. Form a small, bite-sized meatball and place one slice of cheese into the center, forming the meat around the cheese. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes. Makes approximately 42 meatballs. 

Enjoy!