Cheesy Skillet Meatballs with Garlic Toast ~ this easy hot appetizer or light dinner with tender meatballs baked up in an ooey gooey cheese sauce comes with crisp slices of garlic bread for scooping ~ yum!
cheesy skillet meatballs might just be my perfect comfort food
Everyone has their own definition of comfort food, it’s such a personal thing. For me it’s food that helps erase the stresses of the day, temporarily stops all conversation, and envelopes me in a cozy embrace.
It’s often cheesy, usually warm, and always satisfying. True comfort food shouldn’t stir up guilt or regret. It’s food that inspires what my husband calls my ‘dinner dance’, an embarrassing little jig I do when an especially tempting meal is coming together 🙂 These cheesy skillet meatballs with garlic toast pretty much tick all the boxes for me.
how to serve skillet meatballs
I think these meatballs work equally well as a starter, a main course, or a side dish. Here’s how I like to serve them up.
- Serve them alongside toasted pieces of garlic bread – this not only rounds out the dish, but helps soak up all the lovely sauce.
- You’ll want to serve this dish when it’s still very hot, or the cheese will start to harden up. Bring the skillet to the table with a trivet (remember to tell your guests to be careful!), or serve hot from the oven onto plates with bread.
- I love this dish served alongside a big salad for an unexpected yet comforting meal.
ingredients for cheesy skillet meatballs
I don’t usually follow a recipe with meatballs, I improvise off a basic formula of 1/2 cup bread crumbs and 1 egg to every pound of ground meat. Finely chopped onions are almost always included. I vary the flavorings widely, including some herbs and spices and some kind of sauce. These meatballs came out especially soft, which works well for scooping and eating dip-style. Here’s what you’ll need:
- ground beef
- egg
- breadcrumbs
- red onion
- onion salt
- dried oregano
- dried thyme
- black pepper
- ketchup (I used jalapeno ketchup for a tiny amount of kick)
- steaksauce (such as A1 brand)
- marinara sauce
- mozzarella cheese
- for the garlic toasts, you’ll need a baguette, some olive oil, and fresh garlic.
TIP: If you want that classic ‘cheese pull’ (see photo above) be sure to use mozzarella cheese, and don’t skimp!
how to make meatballs ahead
If you like, you can make the meatballs ahead of time, and top them with the cheese when you are ready to bake and eat. You can freeze them, too, so you can whip this up on a moment’s notice.
- Put the raw meatballs on a tray in a single layer in the freezer and freeze until frozen solid.
- Then put them in a sturdy zip lock freezer bag and label them with a date. Use within 2-3 months.
make this recipe your own
- Make these skillet meatballs even easier by using little balls of sausage instead of the meatballs, just buy the bulk package of country sausage, and roll small balls, then cook as above. These will cook quickly, so watch them.
- You can mix in different kinds of cheese along with the mozzarella, such as sharp cheddar, Gruyere, or pepper jack!
- Arrange your meatballs in small skillets before baking for individual servings.
Cheesy Skillet Meatballs with Garlic Toast
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 small red onion, finely minced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 tsp onion salt
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 Tbsp jalapeno ketchup, or regular ketchup
- 1 Tbsp steak sauce, I use A1
- 16 oz marinara sauce, or spaghetti sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, a little more if you like things really cheesy
garlic toasts
- 1 baguette
- olive oil, for brushing
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced lengthwise (don’t peel)
Instructions
- Set the oven to 350°F.
- Crack the egg into a large mixing bowl and beat well with a fork. Add the meat, breaking it apart as you add it to the bowl. Add in the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the marinara sauce and the mozzarella cheese. Using your fingers, gently mix to combine everything well. Don't compact the meat, and don't over mix it, you want these meatballs to be fluffy and light.
- Using a 1.5 inch cookie scoop or small spoon, portion out the meat into approximately 22 balls. Using your hands, shape each ball into a round ball, then set on a baking sheet.
- Cook meatballs in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- After 5 minutes of cook time, pour the sauce into a 10-inch cast iron skillet and place it in the oven along with the meatballs to cook for remaining 10 minutes.
- Remove both pans from the oven and transfer the meatballs to the skillet, nestling them into the sauce. Return the skillet to the oven and cook for another 10 minutes, If you made your meatballs smaller or larger, the cooking time may vary.
- Remove the skillet again and add shredded cheese over the meatballs. Return to the oven for about 5 minutes, to melt the cheese. Optionally, set pan under the broiler to brown the cheese, but watch carefully.
- Serve immediately with garlic toasts.
Garlic Toasts
- To make the toasts, thinly slice a baguette and brush one side with olive oil. Set the toasts oil side down on a very hot grill pan for a few minutes until toasted. Rub the cut side of garlic along the toasted surface of the hot bread.
Nutrition
Quick, easy and tasty!! You never let me down, Sue! Made my own sauce (Marcela Hazen’s Tomato Sauce recipe) and bread due to Covid and a shortage of supplies in our pantry. Mixed the ingredients in the am and cooked tonight. Really enjoyed this!
Is the sauce plain tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce?
That’s jarred marinara or spaghetti sauce Ashley, I just clarified that in the recipe.
OMG those cheesy meatballs are making my mouth WATER!
I made these tonight and they are delicious. Thank you for your delicious recipe ideas
You’re SO welcome James!