Cheesy Meatball Bombs + Video
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Cheesy Meatball Bombs are loaded with fresh herbs and marinara for a delicious bite. Make this easy stuffed bread recipe for dinner tonight!
Perfectly seasoned meatballs are stuffed with cheese, wrapped in pillowy pockets of dough, and topped with even more cheese!
Meatball Bombs
Not only are meatball bread bombs easy to make, but they make a filling meal all on their own.
Turn another classic comfort food into poppable bites with my Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Bombs.
Perfectly seasoned and baked to perfection, these are sure to become a family favorite.
Or try these Cheesy Breakfast Bombs for the perfect on-the-go morning meal! They’re stuffed with gooey cheese, crispy bacon, and fluffy bits of egg.
Tips and Tricks for Cheesy Meatball Bombs
- Use full fat cheese. Whole milk mozzarella melts better than part-skim, and low moisture cheese will give you that classic stretch when pulled apart.
However, this recipe is very forgiving, so use whatever you can get your hands on. - Use freshly grated cheese. Not only is the flavor bolder in a wedge of Parmesan, but it melts better too.
Pre-bagged shreds have a preservative to prevent clumping that gives them a waxy texture and keeps them from melting properly. - Don’t need as many? Simply cut this recipe for meatballs wrapped in dough in half to make a quick snack!
On the other hand, you can easily double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd. - Make ahead of time. You can prep the stuffed meatballs with bread up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake.
Allow them to sit on the counter while you preheat the oven to remove the chill first.
Meatballs Wrapped In Dough Ingredient Substitutions
- Ground beef: You can replace this with ground chicken or turkey instead, but I suggest increasing the spices, mainly because these alternate meats tend to be milder in flavor.
- Frozen dinner rolls: I like to use the Rhodes brand, but any brand will work fine.
You could also use homemade bread dough or refrigerated tubes of biscuit or pizza dough if you’d like! - Marinara: Use your favorite brand or make a quick batch of homemade red sauce instead.
- Fresh herbs: It really does make a difference in flavor, but you can use dried seasoning if needed.
Reduce the amount to ½ teaspoon each and crush the herbs between your fingers before adding to the ground beef mixture.
Meatball Bread Bombs FAQs
I haven’t tried this particular recipe for meatballs wrapped in dough with different varieties, but I don’t see why not!
Choose your flavors carefully to be sure they go well together and use a good melting cheese for the center of the meatballs.
Mild cheddar or provolone melts really well, while Asiago or Romano are a great salty substitute for Parmesan.
Leftover meatball bombs will keep in a sealed container for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave in bursts or in the oven until warmed through.
Absolutely! Once baked, allow the bombs to cool completely and freeze for up to 6 months.
Thaw the meatballs with bread in the refrigerator before reheating or bake straight from frozen for about 15-20 minutes at 350°F.
Enjoy!
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Cheesy Meatball Bombs + Video
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef
- 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup grated onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon marinara sauce
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, fine chop
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh parsley, fine chop
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh basil, fine chop
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch black pepper
- 6 ounces mozzarella , cut into 12 even-sized cubes
For the bombs
- 12 white dinner roll dough balls, thawed
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce, plus more for serving
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, fine chop
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Flour for dusting
- 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. Add the ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, parmesan cheese, marinara, egg yolk, rosemary, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Mix together until fully combined. Separate the mixture into 12 evenly sized meatballs. Flatten out the meat mixture and place a piece of the mozzarella in the center. Encase the cheese cube with the meatball meat, roll between your hands to form a ball, and place it on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes until fully cooked, let cool to the touch. While the meatballs are cooking, take out the dinner roll dough balls to thaw.
- While the meatballs are cooling, add ½ cup of marinara sauce to a small bowl. Lightly dust a clean work surface and roll out or use your hands to form the dough balls into a flat circle about 4 inches wide. Dip a meatball into the marinara sauce. Place the meatball into the center of the rolled out dough ball. Gather the dough around the meatball and pinch the seams together. Gently roll into a ball and place it on to a parchment-lined baking sheet seam side down. Repeat with the remaining dough balls and meatballs. Brush the tops with the beaten egg. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
- While the bombs are baking, whisk together the melted butter, parsley, and garlic powder. As soon as the bombs are done baking, brush with the butter mixture and sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top. Serve with more marinara sauce for dipping.
Video
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published January 2021, updated and republished March 2023
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To save a little time I mixed up the meat mixture the day before I was going to make these and stored in the fridge.
I also bought a prepackaged of cubed cheese to save time in having to cut the cheese in equal size cubes.
Decided to try these because my husband loves meatball subs and these looked a fun appetizer for The Super Bowl. Only thing is I forgot to add marinara in the meat mixture so I left it out all together. Husband said it's the best meatball he's ever eaten. Win win for me! Thanks for the recipe!
Do you need to let the Rhodes dinner rolls rise 1st? It takes 3-4 hours to rise.
I let them thaw and rise (before I put together the meat mixture) because they were not thawing out fast enough. I put them in an egg keeper so that they would thaw and keep their shape but not rise too much. I kept them in the fridge over night so they thawed slowly. This recipe was a hit but it took way much longer to make than the directions would have you believe. The suggestions for cutting time were great! (I doubled the recipe–it was awesome!)
These were such a nice little appetizer. I’ll be making this for game days