When I asked Charles what we should serve at our rooftop party inside-on-a-45-degree-night-party, he immediately replied “Meatballs on a stick.” Well, that’s random. But, ok. Why not serve mini meatballs on a skewer with a ball of mozzarella, with some fresh tomato sauce for dipping? Of course, Charles’s random idea became the appetizer our friends liked the most.
I adapted my Mom’s meatball recipe to create “Meatballs on a Stick”. My Mom’s meatballs are lighter and less dense than most meatballs. The secret is using hamburger buns instead of breadcrumbs. Adding the balls of mozzarella and homemade tomato sauce made for a fun snack that seemed like a mini meal.
The cool thing about this appetizer is the presentation. I poured a pool of warm tomato sauce into a shallow bowl. Then I arranged skewers of warm meatballs and balls of mozzarella so that they were standing up in the sauce. The bamboo skewers and bamboo plates were a gift from Restaurantware, a local company that makes eco-friendly tableware. Their products are so pretty that my friends didn’t want to throw them away, but they are compostable, biodegradable, and intended to be single use products. You can get 10% off your Restaurantware order with the code THEKITCHEN10.
Kit Graham
Yields 10
10 minPrep Time
10 minCook Time
20 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 pound Ground Beef (I used 90/10)
- 2 stale Hamburger Buns
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 1/2 cup Parmesan
- 1 clove of Garlic, pressed
- Mozzarella Pearls
- Tomato Sauce for Dipping
Instructions
- Place the beef in a mixing bowl. Quickly bun the stale hamburger buns under water, and squeeze the extra water out. Add them to the bowl. Then add the egg, salt, pepper, Parmesan, and garlic.
- Thoroughly mix all the ingredients together.
- Shape the meatballs by rolling 2 tablespoons of the beef mixture together. Continue until beef has been used.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs (I don't add any grease to the pan). Cook for about 5 minutes, turning the meatballs to cook all sides.
- Place a mozzarella ball on a skewer and add a meatball, repeat this with all the meatballs. Serve with warm tomato sauce for dipping. I cooked the meatballs before the party, and warmed them up when guests arrived, and then assembled and served them.
This post was sponsored by Restaurantware, but the opinions expressed are my own.
