At your next summer fete, serve a big batch of Cheese Curd Stuffed Meatball Sliders. These small bites pack a punch of big flavor, stuff with fresh squeaky cheese curds!
This post is sponsored by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.
Let’s talk cheese – I love cheese, it’s probably my favorite savory food. It can be ooey and gooey, soft and spreadable, fresh and squeaky, clean tasting or stinky. There are so many different types of cheese, you can have a new one every single day of the year and still not try them all.
Picking a favorite though – that is not an easy task. How do you do it? I feel like favorite cheeses change depend on your mood but there is one cheese I can and will always say yes to.
Cheese Curds.
Have you had them? Have you even heard of them?
You might have had them if you’ve eaten poutine before but if you’ve visited anywhere in the mid-west, specifically Wisconsin, I’d be shocked if they didn’t cross your path. Cheese curds is a fresh cheese and you know they’re good when they squeak after you take a bite. It’s the perfect cheese for snacking, frying, tossing into a salad or my personal favorite stuffing into foods. These bite sized bites of cheese has a mild, salty taste, which is perfect for the pickiest cheese eater in your family.
With that in mind, I thought it would be perfect for stuffing into meatball sliders. These cheese stuffed sliders make a great quick weeknight meal or double the recipe for summer entertaining. You can go ahead and toss them onto the grill if you don’t feel like heating up your kitchen. Plus who doesn’t love meatballs with a cheesy surprise in the center?
I’ll be honest with you though, if you live outside of Wisconsin cheese curds are a challenge to track down. In all of NYC, there was only one store I knew of that sold Wisconsin cheese curds, the hunt was well worth it though. Did you know that Wisconsin cheese makers have been crafting varieties of cheese for more than 160 years? It’s a tradition that lives on with more than 2.8 billion pounds of cheese crafted each year. That’s a lot of cheese – imagine all the milk that gets used to make it!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 1 large garlic clove, finely minced
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 4 ounces cheese curds
- 12 slider rolls
- 3 tomatoes on the vine, sliced
- lettuce
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine the beef, egg, garlic, onion, parsley, basil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Mix well and form into approximately 12 - 1/4 cup sized meatballs.
- Place a cheese curd in the center of each meatball and wrap the beef around the cheese curd, sealing it tightly into a ball.
- In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, drizzle 1 tablespoon oil and cook the meatballs in batches, about 5-6 minutes per side or until they are dark brown.
- Transfer to a foil lined baking sheet and finish cooking in a heated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.
- Alternatively, you can cook the meatballs outdoors on your grill - they should take about 6-7 minutes per side.
- Place each meatball on a slider bun with a slice of tomato and piece of lettuce. Secure the top with a toothpick and extra piece of cheese curd.
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Since I know you love cheese as much as I do, be sure to follow Wisconsin Cheese Pinterest board and visit their website for more cheese making history and information. You can also visit them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
For those who love to create fun recipes with cheese check out the fun recipe contest for the Food and Wine Conference!
Cheese Appetizers:
- Cheese Crispies by Shockingly Delicious
- Cheese Fondue by Recipes Food and Cooking
- Prosciutto Havarti Spinach Bundles by Daily Dish Recipes
Cheese Bread:
- Parmesan Pull Apart Bread by Magnolia Days
- Spicy Cheese Twists by The Wimpy Vegetarian
Main Dishes with Cheese:
- Cheese Curd Stuffed Meatball Sliders by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
- Cheesy Crab Stuffed Peppers by FoodieTots
- Cheesy Skillet Lasagna by Life Tastes Good
- Cheesy Vegetable Enchiladas by Alida’s Kitchen
- Fontina Chorizo Spinach Quiche by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
- Ham, Blackberry Ricotta, and Fresh Mozzarella Grilled Cheese by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Korean-style Poutine 2.0 by kimchi MOM
- Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil Couscous Salad with Arugula by Ruffles & Truffles
- Pimento Cheese Potato Soup by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
- Sausage and Burrata Pasta by Family Foodie
Cheese Side Dishes:
- Cheesy Jalapeno and Bacon Potato Au Gratin by Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Chipotle Beer Mac & Cheese by One Sweet Mess
- White Mac and Cheese by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
Desserts:
- Coconut Lime Cheese Crepes with Brandied Cherry Topping by The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch
- Ricotta Cheesecake Brownies by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
10 Ideas for Cheese Dip Dippers by Sunday Supper Movement
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I’ve heard of cheese curds but haven’t had the pleasure of tasting them yet. I hope to very soon. Meanwhile, I’ll dream about these tasty looking sliders.
Don’t feel bad I never had cheese curds either, but after this recipe we both need to give it a try? lol
I LOVE cheese curd! There were cheese factories back home where we would go on certain days of the week when they made the cheese curd and we would buy 3 or 4 bags. I love the squeakiness and dad never allowed us to refrigerate it. I have also microwaved it for a few seconds and oh my, so yummy 🙂 Thanks for the memories and this sandwich looks yummy!
We don’t seem to know about cheese curds out here in California, but I am now officially on the lookout. I consider it a challenge to track them down!
Yes, I am a big fan of cheese curds! Not sure where you got your cheese, but I got mine shipped from Wisconsin.
I heard Murray’s and Beecher’s are the two places in NYC to get cheese curds! Next time I’m just going to have my husband stop by Murray’s to pick up a couple of bags!
I am such a burger girl and I love that you added cheese curd! This looks amazing!
I’m crazy about these sliders! We stuff our burgers with mozzarella on the BBQ pit and it’s delicious, so I’m sure these are amazing thanks for the recipe!
Oh, these are adorable!! Such a fun appetizer—and surely the first to disappear!
I’ve never, ever heard of poutine before! It sounds like it’s worth a trip to Wisconsin to search them down. I absolutely love your way of using them in this meatball slider recipe. And my husband would LOVE them. I’m going to have to figure out a way to make them for him.
So cute! What a fun appetizer!
Such a creative and delicious way to enjoy cheese curds. Love this!
OK, now I definitely have to get my hands on some cheese curds!
You are a girl after my own heart! Cheese Curd Lovers Unite! 😀
Oh my gosh what deliciousness! Love these!
My husband is obsessed with cheese curds! If I show him this recipe, he’ll demand it immediately 🙂
But then you get to have cheese curd stuffed meatballs. I think it would be a win win situation. 🙂
I’ve never tried cheese curds before! Definitely need to get my hands on some. Delicious sliders!
I WANT EM I WANT EM I WANT EM! My mind is blown Susan-and now I’m hungryyyy
This recipe has been chosen to be part of our Burgers, Sliders, and Dogs Recipe Roundup – we hope you will help us spread the word by sharing, pinning, and tweeting! All links go directly to your recipes and we hope you get lots of traffic! Kelli and Holli at Yum Goggle