Italian Meatball Pastry Cups
Comfort food doesn’t always need a slow cooker.
Description
Sometimes it just needs a hot oven and the right shortcuts. These Italian meatball pastry cups lean into what North Country Smokehouse meatballs do best — real comfort, real flavor, and very little work from you.
The crescent dough bakes up golden and buttery, the meatballs stay rich and satisfying, and the whole thing lands somewhere between weeknight ease and party-ready comfort. No fuss. No hovering. Just food that shows up and does its job.
Ingredients
- 16 North Country Smokehouse Frozen Italian Meatballs
- 2 (8 oz) cans refrigerated crescent dough
- 5 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup marinara sauce
- 1 TBSP fresh parsley, finely chopped
- Flour, for dusting
Cooking Instructions
- Preheat: Set the oven to 350° F.
- Prep your tins: Lightly spray two standard muffin tins (8 cups each) with nonstick cooking spray.
- Make the pastry cups: Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Separate the crescent dough triangles and press one triangle into each muffin cup, working the dough up the sides and slightly over the rim. We’re aiming for coverage, not perfection.
- Assemble: Add about 1 teaspoon shredded mozzarella to each dough-lined cup. Place one frozen meatball into each and gently press down.
- Bake, round one: Bake for 10 minutes.
- Top and finish: Remove from the oven and spoon about 1 tablespoon marinara over each meatball. Top with an additional 1 tablespoon shredded mozzarella. Return to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbling, and lightly golden.
- Garnish (optional): Let cool briefly. If sharing, transfer to a platter and sprinkle with parsley. If not, eat one straight from the tin while standing in your kitchen. That’s between you and the oven.
Why It Works
Using pastry cups keeps everything where it belongs — crisp edges, saucy center, and a meatball that holds its own. North Country meatballs come fully cooked and well-seasoned, so you get bold flavor without extra steps. It’s comfort food that cleaned up a little and didn’t feel the need to announce it.
In this Recipe
Italian Style Beef & Pork Meatballs
