RITZ Sausage and Cheese Bites
Homemade meatballs are the secret to these delicious party appetizers. Make ahead and freeze the meatballs to make last minute party prep easier.
Prep time30 min
Total time45min
ServingsMakes 16 servings, 3 topped crackers each.
Ingredients
- 78 RITZ Crackers, divided
- 1 lb. ground Italian sausage
- 1 red pepper, finely chopped
- 1 cup shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- ⅔ cup marinara sauce
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
Preparation
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Cover rimmed baking sheet with foil; spray with cooking spray.
- Crush 30 crackers. Reserve 1/4 cup crumbs for later use. Mix remaining cracker crumbs with sausage, peppers, mozzarella, egg and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese until blended.
- Shape into 48 (1-inch) meatballs, using about 1 Tbsp. meat mixture for each meatball.
- Combine reserved cracker crumbs and remaining Parmesan cheese in shallow dish. Add meatballs, 1 at a time, to crumb mixture; turn to evenly coat all sides of each meatball with crumb mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake 10 to 15 min. or until done (160°F.). About 5 min. before meatballs are done, heat marinara sauce.
- Top crackers with meatballs; drizzle with marinara sauce. Sprinkle with basil.
Recipe Tips
- Variation
Prepare using RITZ Reduced Fat Crackers and/or Italian turkey sausage. - Make Ahead
For convenience, the meatballs can be baked ahead of time. Cool, then place in single layer on baking sheet. Freeze 2 hours. Transfer meatballs to freezer-weight resealable plastic bag. Freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in refrigerator. Reheat in microwave before using to prepare recipe as directed.
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Nutrition InformationNutrition Per Serving | |
|---|---|
| Calories | 180 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total fat 11g | |
| Saturated fat 4g | |
| Trans fat 0g | |
| Cholesterol 25mg | |
| Sodium 390mg | |
| Carbohydrate 12g | |
| Dietary fiber <1g | |
| Total sugars 2g | |
| Added sugars 1g | |
| Protein 7g | |
| Vitamin A | 6 %DV |
| Vitamin C | 6 %DV |
| Calcium | 8 %DV |
| Iron | 6 %DV |
| Potassium | 2 %DV |
| Vitamin D | 2 %DV |
