A good appetizer sets the mood for your tastebuds and gets you excited for the meal to come.
And if they’re wrapped in prosciutto, well… that’s just icing on the cake! Or ham on the meatball. Either way, this cranberry glazed stuffed prosciutto meatballs recipe is a surefire hit.
Stuffed prosciutto meatballs with cranberry glaze- A layered delight
These meatballs have some serious layers. The first is a cranberry glaze. The cranberry sauce glaze is tangy, sweet, and sure to wake up your taste buds right off the bat.
Next comes prosciutto. It adds a salty kick and crunch factor to the meatballs making it irresistible.
Following the ham layer is the meatball itself. It’s a pretty standard pork meatball – ground meat, herbs, egg, milk. Sage, parsley, and thyme bring even more traditional flavors into this layer.
Once the ground pork is mixed, you’d think it’s time for the meatball assembly line. But there is still one more layer to be discussed. CHEESE! Tiny little pearls of mozzarella create the core of these tiny delights and add an itty bitty creamy component.
So there you have it, all four layers: your tangy/sweet cranberry glaze, your salty/crunchy prosciutto, meaty/herby meatballs, and cheesy/creamy mozzarella.
Stuffed Prosciutto Meatballs With Cranberry Glaze
Equipment
- Oven
- Saucepan
- Fine Sieve
- Baking Sheets
Ingredients
CRANBERRY GLAZE
- 1 cup cranberries fresh or frozen
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
- Coarse salt
STUFFED PROSCIUTTO MEATBALLS
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
- 3 tbsp whole milk
- 1 nos. egg (large)
- 3 tbsp minced fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp minced fresh sage
- 1 tsp minced fresh thyme
- 3/4 tsp coarse salt
- black pepper freshly ground to season
- 1 lbs ground pork
- 30 nos. mozzarella pearls fresh
- ½ lbs prosciutto di parma (thinly sliced)
Instructions
For cranberry glaze
- Combine all ingredients with a pinch of salt in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst and the glaze has thickened, 10 minutes.
- Strain the glaze through a fine sieve, pressing down on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Scrape any glaze off the bottom of the sieve and discard solids.
- Set glaze aside to cool.
For meatballs
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut each slice of prosciutto in half crosswise – you’ll need about 30 half slices.
- In a medium bowl, stir together cornmeal, milk, egg, herbs, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Add the pork and gently stir to combine.
- For each meatball, grab roughly a tablespoon of the meat mixture, place a piece of mozzarella in the middle.
- Form the meat around it and roll it into a smooth ball (should be about 1 1/4 inch meatball).
- Wrap each meatball in a slice of prosciutto and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining meatballs, cheese and prosciutto.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until the prosciutto is crisp and meatballs feel firm.
- Transfer the meatballs to a large bowl and toss with as much of the glaze as is needed to cover.
Notes
- To make this dish ahead of time, freeze the uncooked meatballs on a baking sheet, and once frozen, transfer them to an airtight container.
- If you prefer a spicy kick to your meatballs, mix in a pinch of red pepper flakes or a dash of chili sauce, or any other spicy sauce to the glaze for extra fiery flavor.
- While the oven-baking method is delicious, you can adapt this recipe for a slow cooker or crockpot.
- To save time on chopping herbs and mincing ingredients, use a food processor. Simply add the herbs, egg, and milk to the food processor and pulse together.
- Feel free to experiment with different types of ground meat. Try the same recipe with beef meatballs.