CHEESY MEATBALL BITES

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.

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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.

How do you make cheesy meatball appetizers?

Making these cheesy meatball bites is so simple! You’ll need an 8-oz can of crescent rolls, some mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce and of course, the meatballs. I just use the frozen, pre-made meatballs that I buy from the store. I list my favorite kinds below! Preheat your oven and spray your muffin tin with non-stick spray. Press the crescent rolls into the individual muffin tins, then spoon some marinara sauce on top. Sprinkle some of the mozzarella and repeat the layers, ending in more cheese. Bake the meatball bites and serve immediately. If you’re bringing them to share at a party, I recommend heating them up in the oven for 3-5 minutes once you arrive, and then serving them either in the muffin tin or on a ceramic plate like I describe below.

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.

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.

Cheesy Meatball Bites

• 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)

How to bake this meatball appetizer recipe

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a regular sized muffin pan with non-stick spray.
2. 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!) I mentioned above how I now prefer to use the crescent rounds instead of the traditional triangle crescent rolls. The crescent rounds make this step so much easier! Just open the package and press one round into each muffin tin. You’ll end up with 8 good sized meatball appetizers this way. If you use the traditional triangle crescent rolls, you can make 12 meatball bites, but they’ll be a bit smaller. If I’m preparing this recipe for a party, I just double the recipe using the crescent rounds.
3. Press each square into one of the muffin cups, doing your best to smooth dough around the cup and a little up the sides.
4. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of marinara sauce into the bottom of each cup. Follow with a small 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 another sprinkling of mozzarella cheese.
5. 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.

If you like these Cheesy Meatball Bites, you’ve got to check out some of our other popular appetizer recipes:

• Ranch Chicken Cheese Dip
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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.

4.91 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Author: Jessica & Nellie

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

Instructions

• 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.

Video

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