Cheesy Pizza Meatball Cups

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Serve cheesy pizza meatball cups as an appetizer or light lunch. A small side salad would be perfect to complete the meal.

Have you ever had meatballs on pizza? If not, you’re missing out. It’s one of our favorites to order on pizza night.

This is a recipe that kids are sure to love. Kids of all ages, really. That’s means adult too! Why? Because it’s very pizza like. It’s a great “pantry pull” recipe too. What is a pantry pull, you ask? Well, it’s a recipe you can make with items you already have on hand. 

This recipe would be a pantry pull for me. I had everything I needed to make it without having to go to the store. Don’t you just love when that happens? 

Get kids in the kitchen to help with this recipe. By doing so you give them the knowledge to make this snack anytime they want. 

How Can Kids Help in the Kitchen?

Teach your kids life skills and get them helping with these tasks:

1.  Opening the tube of crescent rolls.
2. Forming the meatballs.
3. Older kids can cook the meatballs.
4. Shred your cheese! Older kids can do this task.
5. Placing the squares in the muffin tin.
6. Spooning pizza sauce on crescent squares.
7. Placing meatballs in crescent cups.
8. Adding pepperoni and cheese.

Always supervise kids in the kitchen. Even though I have teenagers, I’m always close by when they are cooking.

While these are the perfect cheesy meatball appetizer, I actually have also served them for lunch. They make a nice light lunch, especially if you serve with a salad.

Want a secret short cut? Use frozen, store bought Italian meatballs. If you’re short on time it’s a great option. I do like making homemade meatballs and keep ground beef on hand. Sometimes I bring it home from the store and make the meatballs for the freezer so I have them ready to go for this recipe or even pasta night.

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Cheesy Pizza Meatball Cups

A fun appetizer for a hungry group.

5 from 4 votes

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Appetizers and Snacks

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 12

Author: Ellen Folkman

Equipment

• Wilton Recipe Right Muffin Pan, 12-Cup Non-Stick Muffin Pan

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 1 tube crescent rolls
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• Salt pepper and garlic powder to taste
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup pizza sauce
• 12 slices pepperoni

Instructions

• Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with non-stick spray. Set aside.
• Unroll crescent dough and pinch together seams. Cut into 12 equal squares. Gently stretch each square and place in each muffin cup.
• In a bowl combine the ground beef and seasonings. Mix well without over mixing. Form mixture into 12 meatballs.
• Add meatballs to skillet and cook until done, about 15 minutes. As an alternative, you can bake them as well.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• While meatballs cook, add 1 tablespoon pizza sauce to each muffin cup. Top with a a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese. Add a cooked meatball to each cup. Place a slice of pepperoni on top and sprinkle with more mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 15 – 20 minutes until crescent rolls are golden and cheese is melted.

If you and your family love pizza inspired recipes try my Easy French Bread Pizzas or Pepperoni Cheese Pizza Sliders for a quick weekend lunch. If you’re entertaining a crowd Slow Cooker Pizza Dip should be on your menu. If you like to save money and make your own pizza at home, Easy Homemade Pizza Dough whips up quickly.

Meatball Madness

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