Giant Pasta Stuffed Meatball (This is NOT Easy!)

Since I'm home I am not making as easy meals... as you will see below. What's involved: a lot of meat, a lot of time, and a lot of bacon!!

Ingredients:

Pasta

1. 1/2 bag whole wheat pasta (any type)

Sauce

1. 1-1.5 cans Trader Joes marinara sauce

2. 1/2 onion, sautéd

3. 1 can olives, sliced

4. 1/2 pound bacon

5. 1/4 cup chopped bell peppers (can use other vegetables)

6. 1 cup meat, cooked

Giant Meatball

1. 1 pound ground beef

2. 1 pound ground turkey

3. 2-3 slices of wheat bread

4. 1/8 cup plain oatmeal

5. 1/2 tsp salt

6. 1/2 tsp garlic powder

7. 1 tbsp ground parsley

8. 1 tsp oregano

9. 1/4 cup Parmasean

10. 1/2 lb bacon, cooked

11. 2 eggs

12. 1/4 cup milk

Directions (this may take a while...)

1. Cook the pasta

2. Saute onions and bell peppers.

3. Cook the meat for the sauce.

4. Cook the bacon using a microwave and bacon cooker. Then chop the bacon.

5. Slice the olives.

6. Mix all together with the sauce! Then mix 3/4 of the sauce with the pasta.

7. Meatball time! Mix the two meats together.

8. Make the bread crumbs and oatmeal mixture.

9. Mix in salt, garlic powder, parsley, oregano, and cheese. Whisk the eggs and milk.

10. Add the other 1/2 pound of bacon, chopped, to the meat. Mix the egg mixture, bread mixture, bacon, and meat mixture together.

11. Form meatball shell.

12. Top with mozzarella. Place pasta inside. Form into meatball. If it is too liquidy to flip into a square baking pan, add bread crumbs.

13. Cook at 375 degrees for 25-40 minutes. We put it in for 15, 10, 10, and then 5. Cut into it to see if it is ready.

14. Top with meat sauce, sprinkled with cheese. Bake until cheese melts.

15. Enjoy!!!

NOTE: to make this healthy you should probably serve it with some broccoli. We also made garlic bread. Yummm.