Meatball Cups
These meatball cups are a fun and easy twist on classic meatball subs! They’re made with flaky crescent roll dough filled with homemade meatballs, marinara sauce, and melty mozzarella cheese. Serve them with extra marinara for dipping for an easy lunch or dinner!
Servings: 12 meatball cups
Equipment
- 12-cup metal muffin pan
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- ½ lb ground beef
- ½ lb mild Italian sausage
- ⅓ cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus more to sprinkle on top
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the Meatball Cups
- 1 (8-count) tube refrigerated crescent roll dough
- ½ cup marinara sauce plus more for serving
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Add the ground beef, mild Italian sausage, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, egg, milk, garlic, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Gently mix until just combined, being careful not to overwork the meat
- Divide the meat mixture into 12 equal portions, about 3 tablespoons each, and roll each portion into a ball.
- Place the meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 425°F for 8 minutes. The meatballs will not be fully cooked at this point since they will finish cooking inside the crescent roll cups.
- Remove the meatballs from the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Set the meatballs aside while you prepare the crescent dough.
- Unroll the crescent roll dough and pinch the perforated seams together to form one large sheet. Gently press or roll the dough into an even rectangle and cut it into 12 roughly equal squares
- Lightly grease a 12-cup metal muffin pan. Press one piece of crescent dough into each muffin cup, letting the dough come slightly up the sides. Be careful not to stretch the dough too thin on the bottom
- Sprinkle a small amount of mozzarella cheese into the bottom of each crescent cup. Place one partially baked meatball into each cup and spoon about 1 heaping teaspoon of marinara sauce over each meatball
- Top each cup with additional shredded mozzarella and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
- Bake at 375°F for 13–15 minutes, or until the crescent dough is golden brown, the cheese is melted, and the meatballs are completely cooked through. Let the meatball cups cool in the muffin pan for about 5 minutes before carefully removing them. Serve warm with extra marinara sauce for dipping.
Notes
- Don't fully cook the meatballs during the first bake. Baking them for only 8 minutes allows them to develop some structure before being added to the cups without drying out during the second bake.
- Don't overmix the meatball mixture. Gently combine the ingredients just until incorporated to keep the meatballs tender.
- If you prefer to make these meatball with all ground beef, you can replace the Italian sausage with an equal amount of ground beef and use 1 pound of ground beef total. Since Italian sausage adds extra seasoning and flavor, increase the salt to ½ teaspoon and add ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning to the meatball mixture for extra flavor.
- Don't stretch the crescent dough too thin. You want enough dough underneath each meatball to support the filling and prevent the bottom from tearing.
- Don't add too much sauce before baking. About 1 heaping teaspoon per cup is enough and you can serve extra marinara on the side for dipping if you like them saucier.
- Let the cups rest before removing them. Giving them about 5 minutes in the muffin pan helps the dough set and makes them easier to lift out without falling apart.
Nutrition
Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 390mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 152IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 1mg
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