Garlic Bread Meatball Bombs are dinner rolls filled with meatballs, marinara sauce, and melty cheese. Baked to perfection, these mini garlic bread sandwiches are an explosion of flavor.
Cheesy Garlic Meatball Bombs
Our Garlic Bread Meatball Bombs take a classic multi-part Italian meal and combine them into one delicious dish! Instead of piling meatballs on top of pasta, why not bake them in garlic bread?
This meatball stuffed garlic bread recipe makes mealtime fun. It merges homemade garlic knots, mini Italian meatballs, and melted mozzarella cheese and bakes them into bite-sized, garlic-butter-slathered meatball subs.
Hollowed-out dinner rolls are the perfect vehicle for holding the meatball and sauce filling – the meat, sauce, and cheese simply sit on top of the bread base (instead of sitting between each slice), and it all bakes together into the best snack-size bomb without the mess!
Why We Love Garlic Bread Italian Meatball Bombs
- Quick and easy to make.
- Uses a handful of simple ingredients.
- You can prepare your sliders with pre-made parts or make them all from scratch.
- Eating meatballs with your fingers instead of a fork is always fun!
- Great game day appetizers and a portable finger food for get-togethers.
- Perfect pull-apart sandwiches for parties, holidays, snacks, or to serve as the main meal.
Garlic Bread Meatball Bombs Ingredients
- Unsalted butter
- Garlic
- Italian seasoning
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Bakery-style dinner rolls
- Marinara sauce: Feel free to use a store-bought jar or make your own.
- Italian-style meatballs: You can use either fresh or frozen meatballs.
- Parmesan cheese
- Block whole milk mozzarella cheese: I used Galbani brand but feel free to shred your favorite.
- Fresh chopped parsley
Substitutions and Additions
- Make With A Different Meat: Feel free to swap out ground beef meatballs for turkey, pork, or chicken meatballs.
- Vegan or Vegetarian Version: You can make this a vegetarian meal by using your favorite fresh or frozen meatless meatballs. To make this a vegan meal, use both plant-based meatballs and dairy-free cheese.
Recommended Tools
- Baking pan
- Olive oil cooking spray
- Small bowl
- Sharp paring knife
- Pastry brush
How to Make Garlic Bread Meatball Bombs
- Make The Garlic Butter: Whisk together the melted butter, grated garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper.
- Prepare The Bread Base: Place the dinner rolls into the baking pan. Cut out a 1½-inch well in the center of each roll and brush with garlic butter.
Pro Tip: Be careful not to cut too deep into your roll. You do not want the meatball to sink to the bottom of the bread. - Assemble: Spoon marinara sauce into each well, add a meatball, and top with more sauce. Sprinkle parmesan and mozzarella cheese over the entire surface of the meatballs and rolls.
- Bake: Bake fat 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve: Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve while warm. Enjoy!
Tips For Making The Best Garlic Bread Meatball Bombs
- You can use one of your thawed meatballs to guide how big you need to cut out the center of each roll. I like to hold it onto the top of my first roll and then cut it just around the meatball. This will help to ensure that your center well is not too big.
- You can use your favorite homemade or jarred marinara sauce. I used a jar of Ragù traditional sauce because I like its thicker consistency. Your favorite brand will work just as well.
- You can use a shelf option if your local grocery store doesn’t carry fresh bakery dinner rolls. I like the King’s Hawaiian brand butter rolls as a substitute.
How to Store Garlic Bread Meatball Bombs
- To Store: I do not suggest refrigerating or freezing these Garlic Bread Meatball Bombs. They are best served straight from the oven.
What To Serve With Garlic Bread Meatball Sliders
Garlic Bread Meatball Bombs are bursting with big, bold flavors. Therefore, you do not want to overshadow that with a heavy side dish.
A simple salad, garlic green beans, roasted cauliflower, or steamed vegetables pairs perfectly with these bombs.
More Easy Meatball Recipes
Other Easy Dinner Recipes
- Creamy Beef and Shells
- Chicken Enchilada Bake
- Korean Beef Bowl Recipe
- Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
- Meatball Casserole
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
- Teriyaki Meatballs
- Cheeseburger Tacos
Garlic Bread Meatball Bombs
Serves — 12
Make the best Garlic Bread Meatball Bombs with dinner rolls, garlic butter, meatballs, and melted cheese.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Ingredients
Garlic Butter
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons grated garlic from 2-3 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Meatball bombs
- 12 count package bakery-style dinner rolls
- 1½ cups marinara sauce
- 12 Italian-style meatballs thawed if from frozen
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces block whole milk mozzarella cheese shredded (I used Galbani brand)
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with olive oil cooking spray. Set aside.
- To make the garlic butter, add the melted butter, grated garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper to a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons grated garlic, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Place the dinner rolls into the prepared baking pan. Cut out a 1½-inch well in the center of each roll with a small, sharp paring knife. Be careful not to cut too deep into your roll. You want the meatball to not sink to the bottom of the roll.12 count package bakery-style dinner rolls
- Using a pastry brush, brush the garlic butter into the wells and around the tops of all the dinner rolls.
- Spoon 1-1½ tablespoons of the marinara sauce into each well (you should have sauce remaining).1½ cups marinara sauce
- Add a meatball to each sauce-filled roll and top them with the remaining sauce.12 Italian-style meatballs
- Sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese over the entire surface of the meatballs and rolls.2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, 8 ounces block whole milk mozzarella cheese
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Sprinkle the garlic meatball bombs with the chopped fresh parsley and serve while warm.1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
Jenn’s Notes
Tips:
- You can use one of your thawed meatballs as a guide for how big you need to cut out the center of each roll. I like to hold it onto the top of my first roll and then cut just around the meatball. This will help to ensure that your center well is not too big.
- You can use your favorite homemade or jarred marinara sauce. I used a jar of Ragù traditional sauce because I like that it has a thicker consistency. Your favorite brand will work just as well.
- If your local grocery store doesn’t carry fresh bakery dinner rolls, you can certainly use a shelf option. I like the King’s Hawaiian brand butter rolls as a substitute.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 609mg | Potassium: 204mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 473IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 189mg | Iron: 2mg
can alfredo sauce be use in place of the marinara sauce?
if you cannot have red sauce. you can also substitute it for alfredo sauce.
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but do the meatballs need to be cooked if I’m making my own? Thanks!
Not dumb at all!! Yes, they do need to be cooked before.
wow! wow! wowzers the best delicious homemade food!