Muffin Tin Spaghetti Meatball Bites

Classic spaghetti and meatballs made in a muffin tin for the perfect bite sized appetizer.  Serve for Game Day along with Tortellini Caprese Kebabs and Meatballs on a stick.  Stock up on Ragu® Sauce to make the ultimate Game Day appetizer table for guests.

This post is brought to you courtesy of your friends at Ragu® but all the opinions and content are mine.

Muffin Tin Spaghetti Meatball Bites

Muffin Tin Spaghetti Meatball Bites

There is something beautiful about this time of year and it has to do with football.  There is nothing better than getting together with family and friends to watch the game.  Of course, football and Game Day appetizers go hand and hand. We’re taking advantage of the day by serving up some saucy food!

It seems that every week our friends get together to watch a football game.  Even though our favorite green and gold team didn’t make it the championship, we’ll still be celebrating in a big way with friends this year.

Nothing says Game Day more than classic American food. We’ve all grown up eating Spaghetti and Meatballs so why not serve it for an appetizer as the perfect bite sized treat?  This appetizer has all the traditional flavors of Spaghetti and Meatballs but it’s a lot less messier to eat and therefore the perfect meaty pregame food to serve as an appetizer.

Spaghetti Meatball Muffins

Whether you’re a hardcore football fan or simply celebrating to get together with friends and make food, you’ll want to try these recipes made in under an hour! Load your Game Day table with snack favorites like dip and mini meal version snacks.

For the biggest game of the year, you can never have too many snacks.

Since it’s all about the sauce this year, I though I’d share my favorite Ragu® recipe because Mama’s Best Ever Spaghetti & Meatballs are such a classic favorite over here.  I grew up eating it and now enjoy making it for our family.  Since Spaghetti and Meatballs are such a classic American dish to make, I knew I wanted to recreate it and serve it for a fun appetizer.

Spaghetti Meatball Appetizers

Making these muffin tin bite sized treats are not much different than making traditional Spaghetti & Meatballs.  First, start by boiling water on the stove top.  Stir in some olive oil and the spaghetti and cook until Al Dente (just under cooked).

Meanwhile, make the meatballs and heat them over the stove top.  Once the pasta is done, strain it and toss it with olive oil or cooking spray then allow it to cool.  Toss with some Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Spaghetti Meatballs

Spray a muffin tin pan with cooking spray or coat with olive oil.  Spoon in spaghetti noodles, like seen above.

 Top with Ragu® Traditional Pasta Sauce and place a meatball on top of each of the “nests”.  Top with more Ragu® Sauce and sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese and bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes.  Add fresh parsley/basil to garnish the top.

For the biggest game of the year, you can never have too many snacks.  We’ve got an easy tip to help you plan that party.

Meatball Boats

It’s always easiest to work with a simple ingredient while planning a party with food.  Our Game Day party is using Ragu® Pasta Sauce to pair appetizers with.  Ragu® has a long standing tradition of making savory and flavorful pasta sauce that our whole family loves.

Our appetizer table has meatballs on sticks and a simple Tortellini Caprese kebab.  The kebabs are made with spinach tortellini pasta, mozzarella sprinkled with basil and cherry tomatoes then threaded on a kebab stick to dip into pasta sauce.  Of course, these Muffin Tin Spaghetti Meatball Bites are perfect to celebrate the day with, too.

I love the convenience of sticking with one main ingredient.  These three appetizer dishes took 45 minutes to make!  I wish dinner was that quick to make!

RAGU SAUCE

Since where making a few appetizer recipes using Ragu® Pasta Sauce, I’ve stocked up on the 3-pack at Sam’s Club®.  This value pack is all you’ll need to get those Game Day appetizers on the table in time for family and friends.

 Buying the value pack really allows me to get creative in the kitchen and have fun making appetizers that everyone loves.

If your eats aren’t touchdown-worthy, your team might lose.

Muffin Tin Spaghetti Meatball Bites 1

Muffin Tin Spaghetti Meatball Bites

5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Appetizer
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

  • 5 ounces spaghetti noodles
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon parsley
  • 2 cup Ragu® Traditional Tomato Sauce
  • 12 cooked meatballs
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese , to garnish
  • parsley or basil to garnish

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large pot set on the stove top, cook spaghetti with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Cook according to package directions. Strain spaghetti and toss with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil or cooking spray to prevent the noodles from sticking together. Allow mixture to cool. Meanwhile, cook meatballs according to package directions (or make your own). Toss spaghetti with 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese crumbs and 1 tablespoon parsley. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin pan well with cooking spray. Spoon noodle mixture into tins, filling it nearly to the top. Spoon 1 tablespoon Ragu® Sauce on top of the noodles then top with 1 meatball for each. Spoon 1 tablespoon over the top of each meatball then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley or basil. Cook in oven for about 20 minutes.

Nutritional information is only an estimate and it's accuracy is not guaranteed to be exact.

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Ragu®. The opinions and text are all mine.

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16 Responses

  1. I would definitely make these because they are different and bite-size. I have yet to make an appetizer or snack like this…I’m usually doing mini desserts. This looks really good.

  2. I use muffin tins so much for my cooking now. It’s a great idea and keeps portions under control. Then it’s easy to freeze leftovers too!

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