Cocktail parties are so much fun whether I’m hosting them or attending. I’ve always been told that you never arrive at someone’s house empty handed whether it be flowers or a glass of wine. When I’m attending holiday parties, I like to always bring over a dish – usually an appetizer. I always let the hostess know before so she can plan on having my dish there and so we don’t end up making the same thing.
Since most of the parties that I seem to attend serve the same type of food, I like to switch it up a bit and bring a fun appetizer that isn’t usually on the menu. I have a cocktail party coming up on the agenda and I can’t wait to let everybody try my newest recipe.
I’ve been on a sausage kick lately, whether it be ground sausage, summer sausage or meatballs. I love the flavor that it adds to my dishes not to mention you can substitute sausage for any meat!
I grabbed a couple bags of Johnsonville Homestyle Meatballs while I was at the store during my last shopping trip and while I was walking around the store, I thought of an amazing appetizer to make with them.
Cheesy Meatball Bites
Ingredients:
- No-Stick Cooking Spray
- Tomato Sauce
- 1 cups shredded cheese
- 1 bag Johnsonville Homestyle Meatballs
- 1 pkg (13.8 oz each) refrigerated pizza crust dough
- Rosemary sprigs, optional
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Even though the meatballs come frozen, they are already cooked. I warmed mine up on a cast iron skillet but if you’re short on time, you can pop them in the microwave to defrost them. You will want to make sure that they are defrosted before baking them in the oven.
Unroll pizza dough; press into a 15 x 9 inch rectangle. Cut into approximately 24 square pieces depending on how many you are planning to make. If you’re having issues getting the dough rolled, you can always cut the square pieces and use your hands to spread the dough. Don’t spread it too thin or the meatball will start to show through. Place a bit of shredded cheese on the bread dough then place the meatball. Fold up each side to enclose the meatball into the bread. Place seam side down when baking. I used a cupcake pan to bake my meatballs, but you can use a cookie sheet, if needed.
Bake for approximately 9 minutes. You want to make sure the meatball is warm all the way through. Serve on a dish and garnish with rosemary. Add a small bowl and pour tomato sauce for dipping. I always keep a few toothpicks around so guests don’t have to use their hands.
The best part about this dish (other than it’s delicious), it only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish to make. You can’t beat that!
If you’re heading to the store to buy these meatballs, I found mine in the freezer section bulked with the other frozen sausages. Since they are meatballs, I was looking in all the wrong places but they’re located exactly where they should be.
I’m excited to share my recipe with friends at the next party. If you’re looking for an easy recipe that you can make in no time, give it a try and let me know how it goes!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Johnsonville . The opinions and text are all mine.
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