Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs in French Onion Sauce

Brianne’s recipe for French Onion Soup au Gratin Stuffed Meatballs looks so good, I have to try it.  Mozzerella, pinot noir, onions… delicious!

Ingredients

• Olive oil to cover the bottom of the Dutch oven
• 2 onions, halved and thinly sliced1
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 ¼ cup beef broth
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound reduced fat pork sausage
• ¼ cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped, freeze dried chives
• ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon dried ground chipotle
• 1 egg
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese cut into 12 one-inch cube
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1/2 cup red wine
• salt and pepper

Fire up a large chimney of hot charcoals.  Pour a heap of charcoal out and place a 10-inch Dutch oven or skillet on top of a trivet. Add onions and oil.  Saute until caramelized, about 10 minutes.  Add  1/2 teaspoon thyme, salt, and pepper. Deglaze with 1/4 cup red wine and 1/4 cup beef stock.  Reduce until liquid is almost gone. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix by hand ground beef, ground sausage, bread crumbs, chives, egg, chipotle, salt and pepper.  Divide into 12 even parts, about the size of a tennis ball.  Roll into a ball then flatten, add a cube of mozzarella, and close meat over the cheese.

Add 2 teaspoons oil in a 12-inch camp Dutch oven and then add the meatballs.  Place over a pile of hot charcoals and fry the meatballs, rotating each one until evenly browned on all sides.

Add carmelized onions, remaining wine and beef stock.

Cover.  Place 10 hot charcoals underneath and 16 on the lid and bake until the internal temperature of the meatballs is 160, about 20 minutes.

My better-half says this is yummy and I agree.  So many layers of flavors in the sauce and then the meatball explodes with cheese.   Yummy!

Enjoy!