Name: Garlic Bread Meatball Bites
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 22 min
Yield: 24 meatballs
Ingredients: 1 package refrigerated crescent dough sheets ((8 ounces)); 24 beef meatballs (, precooked); 1/3 cup unsalted butter (, melted); 3 cloves garlic (, minced); 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Garlic Bread Meatball Bites are the perfect finger foods for your holiday parties that elevate pigs in a blanket to the next level!

These little bites are the perfect combination of Garlic Bread and Classic Beef Meatballs you can serve at your next holiday party. Perfect for dipping with sauces and serving on toothpicks (we love appetizers on toothpicks!).

Garlic Bread Meatball Bites being dipped into a cup of Marinara Sauce with basil

GARLIC BREAD MEATBALL BITES

Garlic Bread Meatball Bites aren’t a traditional holiday recipe like our recently posted Sausage Rolls. They are, however, absolutely delicious and they were the first appetizer to go at a rather large Thanksgiving party that I cooked for this year.

These Meatball Bites use pre-cooked meatballs – I won’t judge, you can use store bought pre-made meatballs or use my classic meatball recipe (linked below) to make these delicious bites. Then they’re wrapped in pastry dough.

Let’s pause here to discuss the dough. We tested these bites with puff pastry as well as crescent dough and homemade brioche dough. Crescent dough won the taste test hands down, so we are sticking here with the easiest (and fan favorite) option.

A rich buttery, garlicky, Parmesan filled glaze goes over the dough before baking and you end up with a delicious party appetizer people will crowd the plate for. Sorry Bacon Brown Sugar Smokies, you’re delicious but you may not be Appetizer king for long.

Want a delicious dipping sauce?

How to Make Garlic Bread Meatball Bites:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Wrap the meatballs in crescent dough or puff pastry.
Brush with garlic parmesan butter.
Bake until crispy and golden brown.
Serve with marinara or pizza sauce for dipping.

Garlic Bread Meatball Bites

FLAVOR VARIATIONS:

I used my homemade meatball recipe but you can certainly use any flavor you’d like for this recipe. If using Chicken Meatballs you can add extra parmesan to the mixture to make them taste more like a Chicken Parmesan Bite also using Marinara for dipping (you can also add a small piece of mozzarella cheese under the crescent dough before baking.)
Pork Meatballs would be a great option, we love Bacon Wrapped Meatballs, you could wrap a cooked pork meatball in bacon then in the pastry dough for an indulgent treat.
Go vegetarian! Use falafel, wrap in crescent dough then dip in Classic Hummus. You can even make it into a skewer with a small grape tomato or pepperoncinis for more pickled and vegetable flavor to go along side it.

APPETIZER FINGER FOODS:

EASY COOKING FAQs:

Can I freeze these uncooked? Yes. Assemble the meatballs and dough but do not brush with the parmesan butter. You can also make the butter mixture and freeze it along side the meatballs for a quicker prep on the day you need them. Then transfer to a bag until ready to bake. Top with melted butter mixture before baking.
How do you reheat these Meatball Bites? Cook the meatball bites in the oven at 350 degrees F and bake for 8-10 minutes, until crispy. A light brushing of additional butter never hurts either.

HOW TO SERVE AND STORE:

Serve: These appetizers are good at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
Store: In an airtight container these are good for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Freeze: Freeze these baked or unbaked for up to 2 months.

Tray of Meatball Pastry Garlic Bread Bites

5 from 5 votes