Italian Meat Bowls
Ingredients
- ⅓ C whole milk
- ½ C Italian breadcrumbs
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ¾ C grated Parmesan
- Kosher salt
- 1 lb 80-85 percent ground beef
- Nonstick cooking spray, for the rack
- 6 oz part-skim mozzarella, cut in to 24 cubes
- ½ C prepared marinara sauce
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
Make the Meat Bowls
- Combine the milk and 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs in a large bowl and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, egg, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan and 1 teaspoon salt. Use your hands to stir everything together until well combined. Add the ground beef and mix until just combined.
- Drop rounded tablespoons of the meat mixture into a 24-cup miniature muffin tin. Use your fingers to push the meat into the bottom and up the sides of each cup to form a small bowl shape. Press 1 cube of mozzarella into each bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until solid, about 2 hours. (This can be done a day in advance.)
Cooking
- Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat it to 450 degrees F. Set a cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet and spray it generously with cooking spray. Put the remaining 1/4 cup breadcrumbs in a small bowl.
- Use a small offset spatula or butter knife to help nudge the frozen meat bowls out of the muffin tin. Roll the outside of each bowl in the breadcrumbs to coat completely and place on the prepared rack. Spoon 1 teaspoon of marinara sauce into each bowl. Combine the oregano, crushed red pepper and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan in a small bowl and sprinkle some on each meat bowl.
- Bake, rotating the baking sheet once halfway through, until the meat is just cooked through and the breadcrumbs are crispy, 15 to 20 minutes.