Meatball Sub Cupcakes are a bite sized version of meatball subs perfect for gettogethers and entertaining. These Meatball Sub Cupcakes are perfect for lunch, dinner or a snack! Not to mention, everyone loves a meatball sub for game time, but they do get a bit messy! With these mini Meatball Sub Cupcake you get all the great flavors of a messy meatball sub, in a cute and tidy 2 bite form. They're the perfect little two bite party food.
1tube Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, (8 oz) refrigerated, or 1 tube or Crescent Sheets, or 1 tube of Pizza Dough
1 1/2cupsmozzarella cheese, shredded
24cooked meatballs, or cooked frozen meatballs that have been thawed
1 1/2cupsmarinara sauce, or tomato pasta sauce
Fresh basil, for garnish, optional
Grated parmesan, for garnish, optional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 24 cup mini muffin tin, or two 12 cup mini muffin tins with cooking spray.
Unroll the Pillsbury Crescent roll sheet onto cutting board. Firmly pinch and press perforations to seal completely. Cut dough into 24 equal squares (6 by 4 grid cuts).
In medium sized bowl, stir together the meatballs into the marinara sauce until the meatballs are evenly coated in sauce.
Place 1 dough square into each mini muffin tin cup and gently press down to form the cups.
Evenly divide half of the mozzarella cheese into the bottoms of the cups (half of the cheese is saved for topping the meatballs).
Place 1 meatball into each cup and top with an additional teaspoon of marinara sauce.
Evenly divide the remaining shredded cheese on top of the meatballs.
Bake the meatballs cupcakes on the middle rack of the oven for 12-15 minutes, until cheese begins to melt and the crescent dough is golden brown. Note: ensure to bake on the middle rack of your oven for the dough to evenly bake. If baked too high the tops may burn, if baked too low the bottoms may burn.
Remove from the oven and place the muffin tin a cooling rack.
Optional: Garish with fresh basil and grated Parmesan.
Serve and enjoy! Optional: serve with your favorite dipping sauce, more marinara, alfredo sauce, pesto, garlic dipping sauce, ranch dressing, etc.!
AIR FRYER COOKING METHODPreheat Air Fryer to 350°F. Depending on the size of your air fryer, spray a 24 cup mini muffin tin, or two 12 cup mini muffin tins with cooking spray. Basket style air fryer will require 2 tins cooked one at a time.Air Fryer for 10 - 12 minutes or until the crescent dough is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Notes
Freezing Tips
To freeze, transfer cooled baked meatball cups to an air tight freezer safe container or freezer Ziploc bag. If using an air tight container, freeze in a single layer or place a piece of parchment paper between layers if stacking. If you have garnished with basil I recommend removing the basil leaves from the leftover cups as basil does not freeze or reheat well.To reheat from frozen, preheat oven to 350°F. Place frozen cupcakes on a sheet sheet pan or baking tray and loosely cover with tin foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake covered 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Or thaw the cupcakes in the fridge over night and reheat for 5-10 minutes in the oven on sheet pan or baking tray covered with foil.Alternatively, these can be reheated in an Air Fryer. I suggest reheating after allowing the cupcakes to thaw in the fridge overnight. Once thawed, place in the Air Fryer at 400°F for 5 minutes, or until warmed through.