Deconstructed Meatball Sub Bites

Deconstructed Meatball Sub Bites - All the deliciousness of a meatball sub deconstructed and made into a delicious appetizer or snack on a stick.  These bites are perfect for parties.

I received a complimentary Spice Blend packet from Healthy Solutions Spice Blends.  Please know that all opinions are my own and I have not been compensated for this post.

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There is something you guys don't know about me.  I love competing.  Seriously. Love.  So when I was offered the chance to enter into the 2015 Blogger Recipe Challenge being hosted by Healthy Solutions Spice Blends, I had no hesitation.

The spice blend I chose to work with is the Italian Meatballs Spice Blend.

The meatballs were rolled in whole wheat breadcrumbs to add a crunchy texture.

I started thinking I wanted to make something outside the box.  I had a few fun ideas that were not meatballs but a play on a meatball.  In the end I just couldn't pass up making a meatball.  I know, some of you may see it as a cop out.  I know if I were on Chopped there would be at least one judge saying that I'm not being creative.  The deciding factor for me was that I just really wanted to see how this seasoning was IN A MEATBALL!  Makes sense, right?

I had the idea in my head that I wanted a play on a meatball sub.  Oh man, how good are meatball subs, right?  I thought about making a deconstructed meatball sub casserole.  I thought the idea was genius then to my disappointment, I googled it to see if anyone had ever had this idea before.  Turns out, about 5 million of my closest blogger friends have already posted a recipe for a deconstructed meatball sub! Who knew?!

I wasn't giving up on my deconstructed meatball sub idea.  After all I had already bought the frozen loaf of garlic bread.  Then I asked myself "What is your favorite kind of food to eat" and the answer is appetizers and/or snacks.  That's it.  A bite sized meatball sub!  This time I did not google it, so please don't tell me if a million other people have a recipe like this posted.  It seriously would bum me out.  I am so proud of how delicious this ended up being.  Don't burst my bubble.

Oh darn it.  I forgot to tell you the worst/funniest part of all this.  As I was getting my meatball ingredients out of the fridge, I realized I had no eggs!  No eggs!  Can a meatball be made with no eggs?  Yup, it can and it can be good!  This is an eggless meatball!  Ta dah! The plus side of this is that my kid with an egg allergy can try it.  I mean, she could, if she would ever eat anything other than her regular 5 or 6 foods that she eats.

I usually cook my meatballs low and slow in my sauce but I didn't really want these balls totally covered in sauce. So I ended up baking these babies in the oven in mini muffin tin pans.  Great idea.  I wish I could remember where I got the idea so I could credit them but I can't.  So thanks whoever told me about mini muffin pans for meatballs.

I can't believe how much I am babbling on and on today and I still haven't even really told you anything about the actual meatball.  I like to use a combination of beef, pork and veal.  You can even buy a package of this combo at most grocery stores now.  I used whole wheat bread crumbs, which I've really been loving lately.  I even decided to roll my balls in breadcrumbs to add a little extra texture to them.  PS, that was a great idea, if I do say so myself.

While the meatballs were baking away, I also baked my garlic bread.  I just used a frozen loaf. No biggie.  When that was done I cut it into squares.  Then came the fun part - the skewers.  Isn't food on a stick just fun?  Just thread the skewer through a square of bread, a bocconcini ball and then the meatball.  Before placing them on the serving plate I put just a dollop of My Favorite Marinara and then sprinkled them lightly with a little freshly chopped parsley and shredded parmesan.  Awesome!

The fact that they are on a stick makes them such a great choice for a party.

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Deconstructed Meatball Sub Bites

Christine

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

  

Meatball Ingredients

• 1.5 lb combination of ground beef ground pork and ground veal
• .65 oz Healthy Solutions Italian Meatballs Spice Blend
• ¼ C milk
• ¾ whole wheat bread crumbs dry {divided}
• ¼ C parmesan cheese grated
• 1 loaf frozen garlic bread
• 20 bocconcini small fresh mozzarella balls
• 2 T parsley freshly chopped
• 2 T parmesan cheese freshly grated
• 1 C marinara sauce
• 20 skewers

Instructions

 

Meatballs

• Place ground beef, pork and veal in a large mixing bowl with spice blend, milk, parmesan cheese and ½ C breadcrumbs. With hands mix, just until combined.
• Place remaining ¼ C breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl.
• Using an ice cream scoop (to get even sized meatballs) scoop out mixture and roll into balls. Roll each ball in breadcrumbs. Place meatballs in a mini muffin pan.
• Baked meatballs for 20-25 minutes, depending on size.
• Bake garlic bread according to package instructions.
• Cut into squares, roughly the size of your meatballs.
• Heat marinara sauce just to warm.

To Assemble

• Thread a skewer through meatball, bocconcini and garlic bread, placing the meatball at the bottom to act as the base.
• Place a spoonful of marinara underneath each meatball on the serving plate.
• Sprinkle everything with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!