I tried Giada De Laurentiis' new pasta, and the meatballs stuffed with cheese blew my family away

• Giada De Laurentiis recently launched a new line of pastas, including bucatini. 
• I tested out the pasta noodles with her recipe for Bucatini All'Amatriciana. 
• De Laurentiis' meatballs stuffed with cheese were my favorite part of the delicious dish.

After sharing her Italian cooking with the world for the last two decades, Giada De Laurentiis has created her own pasta line.

De Laurentiis has launched an artisan pasta line on Giazdy, her lifestyle platform and shop for authentic Italian recipes and products. 

Her pastas, which cost $10.50 per box, have all been made by regional producers in Italy and feature eight shapes, including bucatini, paccheri, manfredi lunghi, and spaghetti chitarra. 

Pasta is one of my favorite foods and I'm always trying (and ranking) new recipes. So obviously I had to put De Laurentiis' new pasta line to the test. 

I decided to try De Laurentiis' new pasta with her recipe for Bucatini All'Amatriciana with smoked mozzarella meatballs.

"Amatriciana is one of the main famous pasta dishes of Rome, and eating it always brings me back to my childhood," De Laurentiis writes on Giazdy's website. 

De Laurentiis notes that her version of Bucatini All'Amatriciana uses pancetta instead of the traditional guanciale because it's much easier to find in grocery stores, and that her meatballs are an "added spin" and a "real crowd-pleaser." 

As a huge red-sauce pasta fan who has always loved bucatini, I knew I had to try this recipe. Plus my Greek parents are extremely tough critics when it comes to both pasta and meatballs, so I was excited to hear their thoughts when I whipped this up on a recent visit. 

It was time to get cooking! 

De Laurentiis' Bucatini All'Amatriciana features pancetta, crushed tomatoes, and Pecorino Romano cheese.

To make De Laurentiis' pasta for six, you'll need: 

• 1 pound bucatini pasta (I tried the Giazdy brand, but you can make this with any bucatini.) 
• 1 14-ounce can tomatoes, crushed by hand 
• 6 ounces pancetta, diced 
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced 
• ½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt 
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes 

You'll also need ground beef, Italian-style breadcrumbs, and mozzarella for the meatballs.

De Laurentiis' meatballs include: 

• 8 ounces ground beef 
• 8 ounces ground veal 
• 3 garlic cloves, minced 
• 2 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese (cut into 16 cubes, ½-inch each) 
• 2 tablespoons ketchup 
• 1 small onion, grated  
• 1 large egg 
• ⅔ cup Parmesan cheese (plus ¼ cup) 
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley (plus ¼ cup) 
• ⅓ cup Italian-style breadcrumbs 
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more for seasoning) 
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (plus more for seasoning) 

Two things to note for the meatballs: I couldn't find ground veal at my local supermarket, so I bought one pound of ground beef instead. 

I also couldn't find smoked mozzarella cheese to stuff inside the meatballs. However, I was able to find smoked Gouda as well as fresh mozzarella, so I decided to experiment and try both with this recipe. 

Before I started making the meatballs, I needed to get my prep out of the way.

I chopped and grated my onions, minced my garlic, and chopped my parsley.

I also got my cheese ready …

Per De Laurentiis' instructions, I diced my cheeses into cubes that measured about ½-inch each.

... as well as my oven.

De Laurentiis recommends positioning your oven rack in the bottom third of the oven before you begin making your meatballs. The oven should then be preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

It was time to make the meatballs.

I began by adding my ground beef to a large bowl along with the bread crumbs, egg, ketchup, garlic, and ½ cup of parsley.

I topped off my meatball mixture with cheese and made sure to season it.

I added ⅔ cup of parmesan cheese, as well as 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. 

I mixed all the ingredients together, making 14 meatballs out of the mixture.

De Laurentiis' recipe is for 16 meatballs that measure 1 ½ inches in diameter. My meatballs would have been a bit too small if I had made 16, so I made 14 instead. 

I placed a cube of cheese in the center of every meatball.

I used my finger to make an indentation in each meatball, where I then tucked in a piece of cheese. I then reshaped the ball so the cheese was completely covered and firmly in the center. 

Since I was using two different cheeses, I made half of the meatballs with smoked Gouda and the other half with mozzarella. 

I placed my meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and threw them into the oven.

De Laurentiis says the meatballs should bake for 15 minutes until fully cooked through, but it took an extra seven minutes for my meatballs to finish. Every oven is different, so just make sure to keep an eye on them.

While my meatballs were baking, I got started on the pasta sauce.

I drizzled some olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then added my pancetta. 

I let the pancetta cook for about six minutes, stirring constantly, until it turned golden brown. 

I used a slotted spoon to remove the pancetta from the pan. Then I added my onions.

I let the onions cook for five minutes, per De Laurentiis' instructions.

Next, I added the garlic and red pepper flakes.

I let everything cook together for about 30 seconds, until the garlic became fragrant.

I added the crushed tomatoes and threw the pancetta back into the pan.

I seasoned everything with half a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.

I let my sauce simmer uncovered over medium-low heat.

De Laurentiis says you should let the sauce simmer until it thickens, which will take around 15 minutes.

While my sauce simmered, I started cooking the pasta.

I brought a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat, then threw in the bucatini.

De Laurentiis says the noodles should be cooked until they're tender but still firm to the bite, which takes about eight to 10 minutes depending on your stove. 

After my sauce had finished simmering, I added the cheese.

I stirred in the parmesan cheese and added another pinch of salt and black pepper. Then I took my sauce off the heat. 

Once my pasta was ready, I drained the noodles and added them into the sauce.

I gave everything a good mix so my noodles were fully coated. Then I transferred them to a serving bowl and added the meatballs, as well as my remaining parsley and Pecorino Romano cheese. 

Dinner was served! And De Laurentiis' stuffed meatballs easily stole the show.

It's been a very long time since my parents have been impressed with a meatball recipe, but they were huge fans of De Laurentiis' version.  

The meatballs were juicy, moist, and tender — the perfect texture — and packed with tons of flavor. Both cheeses worked really well as a stuffing, and everyone in the family had a different favorite. I'd love to make these again with smoked mozzarella, but you could try this with so many different cheeses. 

I thought De Laurentiis' bucatini noodles were well-made and had a lovely taste. But I wish the sauce had more oomph. I had thrown in two extra ounces of pancetta, which we realized made the sauce just a tad too salty. Next time, I'd also make the sauce thicker and add some red wine or cream to give it more flavor. Bucatini is the perfect vehicle to carry a thick red sauce and I just wanted more from the All'Amatriciana. 

But De Laurentiis' meatballs truly blew my family away. I know we're going to be making them over and over again. 

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