Cheesy Meatball appetizer bites made with crescent dough, frozen meatballs, marinara sauce and lots of cheese! Easy meatball appetizer recipe perfect for parties & game day.
How to keep meatball appetizers warm
I serve these cheesy meatball bites on a ceramic or porcelain plate or tray that I heated in the microwave. Ceramic and porcelain retain heat well, so if you plate the meatball bites hot, they’ll stay warm for around 15-20 minutes, which is usually more than enough time since they tend to get eaten quickly! If it’s a casual get together, I don’t mind serving the meatball bites in the muffin tray. The muffin tray of course wraps the meatball bites and helps them stay warm as a result.
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What is the best brand of meatballs?
My favorite brand of frozen meatballs is Kirkland, from Costco and Armor meatballs. I prefer to use the Italian style meatballs for this recipe, but I’ve also used the homestyle variety and enjoy both! The homestyle variety do seem to be smaller meatballs. I have tried two different off-brand varieties of frozen meatballs and our family didn’t care for either of them, so I only buy either Kirkland, if I’m at Costco or Armor meatballs.
These Cheesy Meatball Bites are one of my favorite meatball appetizers ever. They’re only 4 ingredients and super fast to make and have quickly become one of my most popular appetizer recipes.
I’ve made these meatball bites two different ways. One way I’ve made them is using the triangle crescent rolls pieced together like I depict in the video above. The other way is using the round crescents! This is my preferred way being as you don’t have to worry about cutting it or reshaping it to make the recipe. You just open the package and start putting the recipe together.
Cheesy Meatball Bite Ingredients
1 8-oz can Pillsbury Crescent rolls
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
about 1/2 cup marinara sauce
12 meatballs (I used pre-made, frozen ones)
CHEESY MEATBALL BITES
Cheesy Meatball Bites made with crescent dough, frozen meatballs, marinara sauce and lots of cheese! Easy meatball appetizer recipe perfect for parties & game day.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a regular sized muffin pan with non-stick spray.
Unroll crescent dough. Separate into 2 large sections along the perforated edge. Cut each of the 2 large sections into thirds, then divide those sections down the middle, so that you have 12 squares total. (See video- it’s much easier shown!) You can also use the round crescents and not worry about cutting the dough or anything- just use one roll per muffin cup.
Press each square into one of the muffin cups, doing your best to press down into the cup and somewhat up the edges.
Spoon about 2 teaspoons of marinara sauce into the bottom of each crescent dough cup. Follow with a spoonful of mozzarella cheese. Place 1 meatball (they can be frozen still, no need to pre-thaw!) into the center of each cup. Spoon another 2 teaspoons of marinara sauce on top of the meatball, then finish with more mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 15-17 minutes, until crescent dough is golden brown and cheese is bubbling. Remove from oven. Let cool a few minutes, then remove each meatball bite from the muffin pan. Serve with additional marinara sauce, if desired.
I began Butter, with a Side of Bread to delve deeper into my fascination with food! I love cooking easy, delicious recipes and trying out new products. Welcome and I hope you stick around! Meet Jessica & Nellie...
If I’m making the meatballs homemade and using frozen ones, do I cook them first? Or put in the muffin tin raw? I’m just curious about the grease…
Thanks!
lisa says
These look like a great idea for appetizers to serve on New Year’s Eve. I’ll be testing them out today. Thanks!
April says
These were such a fun way to serve meatballs! Great for a party, and everybody loved them!
Julia says
Can you make these ahead of time, put in the fridge and just bake later that night?
Jessica says
Yes, absolutely!
Sally says
Did you use precooked or raw meatballs?
Jessica says
I use cooked, frozen meatballs.
Sara says
If I’m making the meatballs homemade and using frozen ones, do I cook them first? Or put in the muffin tin raw? I’m just curious about the grease…
Thanks!
Jessica says
Cook the meatballs first! : )
Ali says
Hello! Where can I find the video for this? The one above keeps redirecting to a Disney website. Thanks!
Nicole says
I’m sorry that you’re having issues viewing the in-post video. Here is a direct link to this recipe’s video on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYLZhdJKTYg
Lindsay Lloret says
Are you able to make ahead and freeze?
Nicole says
Yes, just bake as normal. Let cool completely. Then when you’re hungry, place a few on a baking sheet and bake until heated through.
Tina Collins says
I would like to know what is the green garnish on top?
Nicole says
Our pictures for this recipe show parsley as the green garnish. The smaller pieces on top of the meatballs are simply chopped pieces of parsley.
Kathy says
Want to make these for Christmas Day buffet. Would it work to keep them on warm in a crockpot? Thanks for a great recipe!
Jessica says
I’d put them in a crockpot with paper towels, so that it doesn’t accumulate moisture!