Description
Meatball sub in dip form! Hot, gooey, cheesy and crazy delicious meatball sub dip. You’re going to literally fall in love, I swear.
Ingredients
Units
- 1 24–ounce jar marinara sauce (use your favorite brand)
- 1 cup low-moisture whole milk mozzarella, shredded by hand (SEE NOTE)
- 1/3 cup parmigiano-reggiano or pecorino-romano, grated (optional)
Meatballs
- 1 lb. 80/20 ground beef
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion
- 1 small jalapeño, finely diced (optional)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup parmigiano-reggiano or pecorino-romano, grated
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons flat leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup whole buttermilk
- 1/2 cup seasoned panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon herbs de provence (optional)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Cheese Mixture
- 1 15–ounce container whole milk ricotta
- 1 8–ounce package cream cheese, room temperature (softened)
- 1/2 cup low-moisture whole milk mozzarella, shredded by hand (SEE NOTE)
- 1/3 cup parmigiano-reggiano or pecorino-romano, grated
- 1 large egg
- Big pinch kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, gently fold all meatball ingredients until evenly combined. Roll into small meatballs, about 3/4 the size of a ping-pong ball for reference. You should have at least 30 meatballs. Place each ball on the lined baking sheet, and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, fold all the cheese mixture ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined. Spread the cheese mixture all over the bottom of a baking dish at least 10-inches in diameter. I used this one.
- When the meatballs are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool for about 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Place the meatballs on top of the cheese layer. Depending on how many you have and the size of your baking dish, you may or may not have space between each ball. It really doesn’t matter how you do this part, just make sure they all fit somehow.
- Pour the marinara sauce all over the meatball layer, making sure each ball is covered. Sprinkle the mozzarella and parmigiano/pecorino (if using) on top in an even layer. Place the baking dish on top of a large baking sheet to catch spills (if you want), or just place the baking dish in the oven on the middle rack and let it melt and bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbling all over.
- Let the dip cool at least 10 minutes, and serve with strips of garlic bread. Enjoy!
Notes
Always shred and grate your cheeses by hand. Or, allow the deli-counter folks at the store you buy your cheese from to do it for you. Don’t use pre-shredded bagged cheese, it doesn’t melt well and it tastes weird. Trust me.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: appetizers
Keywords: meatball sub dip, dip, game-day recipes, appetizers
