These simple biscuit wrapped Italian Meatball Bites are the kind of two bite appetizer that everyone gravitates to. Serve them with warm marinara sauce or pizza sauce on the side for dipping.

Ingredients to Make Italian Meatball Bites Recipe

This Italian meatball appetizer recipe is one that keeps it simple without limiting the impact on flavor and ease of preparation. It begins with frozen meatballs for a timesaver but you could certainly choose to make your own homemade meatballs with ground beef or ground pork. Serve them with spaghetti, for game day snacks, for Christmas, New Year’s Eve or any holiday as a starter and potluck parties. Ingredients to make easy Italian Meatball Appetizers: (Scroll down for full printable recipe card.)

Meatballs: 24 frozen or fresh Italian meatballs that have been precooked.
Dough: One tube of big and flaky biscuits i.e. Grands.
Shredded Cheese: Shredded mozzarella or use a combination including provolone cheese.
Butter: Melted butter to brush the dough.
Garlic: 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder gives a pop of flavor to the butter. You can use fresh minced garlic cloves, instead.
Parmesan Cheese: this is sprinkled on top to add color and golden brown crust.
Parsley: Flat leaf Italian parsley for garnishing.
Sauce: Warm pizza sauce or marinara sauce for serving alongside the meatball bites for dipping.

How to Make the Best Italian Meatball Bites Recipe

Cook the Meatballs – Cook meatballs per package directions and cool.
Prepare the Pans – Spray the cups of a 24 cup mini muffin pan with cooking spray or brush with melted butter.
Divide the Biscuit Dough – Divide each biscuit into 3 even portions, pulling the layers apart. Press into roughly a 2.5-inch circle.
Assemble the Meatball Bites – Sprinkle the center of each dough round with cheese and center one meatball on the cheese. Bring edges up and around meatball pinching to seal. Place into pan seam side down.
Garlic-Butter – Mix together butter and garlic. Brush the tops of each meatball bite and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Oven – Bake in a preheated 350°F per the cook time in the recipe until puffed and golden brown.
Serve – Garnish with fresh parsley or fresh basil and serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

Tips for Making Meatball Bites

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need: Mini muffin pans, measuring cups and spoons. cheese grater, a small bowl for melting the butter and a pastry brush for brushing the butter on the tops.
Use Homemade or Store-Bought Meatballs: You can use frozen premade meatballs or freshly made Italian meatballs for this recipe. In both instances, they should be cooked prior to assembling, as the oven time for baking the biscuit wrapped meatballs isn’t adequate for them to reach the proper internal temperature.
Make Homemade Meatballs in Advance to Save Time: This is the perfect opportunity to make the homemade meatballs in advance and chill, or freeze them, until you’re ready to assemble the meatball bites.
Grate the Cheese: I shredded my own cheese for this recipe using the large shred side of my box grater. Please note, that the finer the cheese is shredded, the more it will melt into the dough. This isn’t a bad thing, but it stands to reason that if you want a gooey cheese experience it might not be what you expect. So, if you want to have a super cheesy meatball appetizer recipe, you may opt to use more cheese. Afterall, there’s no such thing as too much cheese.
Serving Suggestions: Serve these Italian Meatball Bites as a starter for holidays like Christmas and New Years Eve, game day parties, potlucks or as a side dish with your meal.

Recipe Variations

Protein Substitutions: Can I use turkey, chicken, venison or bison meatballs? Yes, you can! Rule of thumb is the same. They should be cooked prior to assembling the meatball bites.
String Cheese: You can swap out the shredded cheese for string cheese. When doing so, cut one cheese stick into three portions and wrap up in biscuit dough with the meatballs as the recipe directs. Cheese sticks melt more slowly when baked, hence the reason they’re used for mozzarella sticks.
Sliced Cheese: You can also use thick sliced mozzarella or provolone cheese in place of shredded mozzarella cheese. You’ll need 6 thick cut cheese squares, cut into 4 pieces each to equal 24 total.
Fresh Mozzarella: I don’t recommend using fresh mozzarella due to the moisture content.
Fresh Herbs: Garnish with parsley, basil or oregano.

How Do You Keep Meatballs Warm Until Serving?

You can keep these meatball bites in a 200°F oven to keep warm until serving. If you’re serving a buffet, meatballs will hold beautifully in a chafing dish.

Storage and Leftovers

Leftovers: Store leftover Italian Meatball Bites in an airtight container chilled in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Reheat in the microwave, in a preheated 350°F on a sheet pan or in a 325°F air fryer.
Freezer: Cool completely and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat just before serving.

More Southern Style Meatball Recipes to Make

Meatballs are incredibly versatile and the flavor profile options are endless. You can serve them as an appetizer, over noodles or rice for a main dish meal or create a saucy sub. A few more meatball recipes you may like to try:

Slow Cooked Asian Meatballs smothered in an orange chili sauce.
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are ready for dipping in Ranch or bleu cheese dip on the side.
Teriyaki Meatballs can be served as an appetizer with toothpicks.
Delicious island inspired Jamaican Jerk Meatballs are a fan favorite!
Spanish Meatballs filled with manchego cheese.
Swedish Meatballs are a party favorite that can be an entree, too.
Serve these Slow Cooker Party Meatballs straight from the crockpot.
Greek Meatballs from Jo Cooks.

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