Garlic Bread Meatball Bombs

Did you enjoy yesterday’s Connecticut Connection? Great Deli Chicken Sourdough Panini, don’t you think? Me too. As it turns out, today is actually Panini Day. Guess it’s a been there, done that day. Can’t have two panini recipes back to back. Too bad Connecticut Day and Panini Day aren’t one and the same.

Moving on, today is also Raspberry Bombe Day. Yum! Just one problem, Hubby isn’t a fan of raspberries. To me, no berry goes better with chocolate that a raspberry. And a sinful Raspberry Chocolate Bombe is – the bombe!

Oh well, there are other bombes in the world, so let’s go in that direction, shell we? I gotta ask, are these Bombes an appetizer? Could be. Turns out, they are also awesome supper fun, too. These are little two-bite meatball sliders. Hum, two-bite – does that qualify as Amuse-broche? You know, those little one or two bite morsels chefs sometimes offer as a compliment tasting of their skills. I’d say these little bites qualify as “mouth amusers”.

Call it what you like, all I know is that my guys loved it. And in my book, anytime they rave about dinner, it’s a good day.

Garlic Bread Meatball Bombes
Garlic Butter
3 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
1/2 cup Butter
2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
1 teaspoon Parsley Flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

Peel and finely mince garlic. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, add butter and garlic. Cook until fragrant and just beginning to brown, just under a minute. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Once cooled, whisk in the parmesan, dried parsley, dried oregano, and ground black pepper. Set aside.

Bomb Sauce
1/2 cup Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
2 cups Marinara Sauce
1 tablespoon Olive Oil

In a bowl, whisk together the sun dried tomato pesto, marinara sauce, and olive oil until blended. Set aside until ready to use.

Meatball Bombs
Cooking Spray as needed
12 frozen Meatballs
1/2 cup Marinara Sauce
Parsley, garnish
12 Dinner Rolls
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

Heat oven to 350. Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Set aside. Gather ingredients and get organized.

Place frozen meatballs in a microwave-safe rimmed dish. Stir in Marinara Sauce just to coat the meatballs. Cover loosely with a paper towel to prevent splatter. Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Snip or mince parsley for a garnish, set aside.

Hollow out the tops of each dinner roll with a sharp knife. The hole should be slightly bigger than the meatballs, yet not so deep that a hole is puncture the bottom of the roll. Arrange rolls on the prepared baking sheet.

Using a pastry brush, liberally smear the holes of the dinner rolls with the garlic butter. If more butter remains after one pass, add remaining butter, brushing outside tops of the rolls.

Spoon about a tablespoon of the prepared sauce into each of the hollowed out dinner rolls. Place a cooked meatball into each hole. Top each meatball with the remaining sauce mixture.

Evenly distribute the Mozzarella cheese over each of the dinner rolls. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.

Bake for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven. Garnish with parsley.

Using a sharp knife, slice between each dinner roll to separate. Plate and enjoy.