If you’re looking for a delicious meal or snack that your family will love, these meatballs bites wrapped in dough are exactly what you need in your life! Made with frozen meatballs, sauce, cheese, and crescent dough, this is a simple and tasty appetizer or kid-friendly meal that requires very little effort.
We like to think of these as mini meatball sub bites that can be baked conveniently in a muffin tin. Ready in less than 20 minutes, these are mouthwateringly good and fool-proof to assemble.
If meatballs are your thing (they might be ours) we have some other delicious meatball recipes to check out including our Porcupine Meatballs, Juicy Oven-Baked Meatballs, Cheese-Stuffed Meatloaf Balls, and these Meatball and Cheese Balls.
Ingredients
Before starting this recipe, you’ll want to verify that you have the following ingredients:
- Crescent Roll Dough – This is the main dough that holds the meatballs together. You can now find crescent dough sheets in most markets. I suggest picking this type up to make slicing the mini dough squares easier.
- Marinara Sauce – You can use your favorite meatball sauce, but marinara style works best.
- Cheese – We found grated Parmesan works the best because it adds a layer of flavor that enhances the sauce and meatballs.
- Meatballs – If you’re looking to make these simple, frozen meatballs are the way to go. We love the Farm Rich brand but you can use any type you prefer, or maybe even fresh meatballs.
- Parsley – Freshly minced parsley adds a pretty color, and flavor to this meatball recipe.
Equipment and Supplies Needed
We used the following equipment and supplies to make this recipe. Items that are optional or can be substituted will be noted.
- 24-count muffin tin – This is used to bake these dough-wrapped meatballs. This pan nicely hugs the dough which bakes around the meatball.
- Microwave – This is used to cook your frozen meatballs according to the package instructions.
- Cutting board – To lay out the crescent roll dough on. You will also need this for the parsley.
- Knife – To cut the crescent dough sheet into 24 even squares. We did four rows of six squares. You will also need this for the parsley.
- Oven – Adjust oven rack to the center position before baking these meatball bites.
Recipe Tips
This recipe is easy to make if you know the right tips and tricks! Here are my tips for ensuring your Meatball Bites comes out perfectly.
Crescent Dough
If you cannot find crescent dough sheets at your market, you can use a regular roll of crescent dough. Simply open, unwrap the dough, and lay it flat. Pinch the triangles together to form a sheet. Run a floured rolling pin over the sheet to seal it. Cut dough into four rows of six squares to make 24.
Pan Size
If you wanted to bake 12 larger meatball cups, simply cut your crescent roll sheet into just 12 squares. You will likely need 2 smaller frozen meatballs, or one larger fresh meatball to fill the space.
Cheese
We loved Parmesan cheese for this recipe, but mozzarella, provolone, or even cheddar shreds would be delicious as well!
Storage
If you want to store your Meatball Bites, just follow these easy steps.
Freezer
These meatball bites can be made, cooled, and then frozen. Simply line a baking sheet with cooled bites and freeze for 2-3 hours. Once frozen, add bites to an airtight freezer bag or storage container to store them for up to 30 days. To enjoy from frozen allow bites to thaw. Once thawed, add them to a toaster oven for 2-3 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit to crisp them up.
Refrigerator
Unfortunately, these bites are best eaten when warm, the same day. However, you can store them for up to 24 hours in the fridge. This will change the overall quality of these since the dough will lose its crispness and flavor. Crisping them up in a toaster oven for 2-3 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit can help restore some of the texture.
Recipe
Follow the recipe below to make these Meatball Crescent Bites! This recipe makes 24 bites, but you can adjust the recipe card for other serving sizes.
Meatball Bites (Made with Crescent Dough)
Equipment
- 24 count cupcake tin
- microwave-safe dish
- cutting board
- pizza cutter or knife
- spoon
Ingredients
- 24 meatballs cooked from frozen (or fresh)
- 8 ounces crescent dough sheet
- ½ cup marinara sauce
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Thaw 24 meatballs in the microwave for one minute at 50% power. It is okay if they are still cold as they will bake with the dough.
- Using a pizza cutter, cut stretched crescent dough sheet into 24 squares (4 rows, 6 columns). Line dough squares in a mini muffin tin pan.
- Add one teaspoon of sauce to each dough square followed by one thawed meatball. Add an additional teaspoon of sauce, and a sprinkling of cheese to each.
- Bake for 11-12 minutes or until golden-brown and cooked through. Cups will have a golden-brown coloring and feel firm to the touch. Top with sprinkling of parsley.
First time making these and they were a huge hit for my boys! I used my silicone hot cocoa bomb molds and it worked out beautifully. They flipped right out of the molds with zero sticking. The first ones I did exactly like the recipe, but the ones I did at the end I chose to close up the ends of the crescent roll over the tip so my boys could easily pick them up without the mess. They were all great, but my boys liked the closed tops best. (They weren’t as pretty as the open tops though). This was such a quick easy and fun meal!!!