Transform frozen meatballs into fun Meatball Lollipops. This easy appetizer made with a creamy ricotta cheese filling and crescent rolls is perfect for any party.
When my family descends upon my house tonight for a holiday gathering, they will not be surprised to see fun party food on my table. I'm excited to serve them these Meatball Lasagna Lollipops.
I almost always have meatballs at my parties. I often just throw the meatballs in my slow cooker with some sauce. It's so easy and by evening's end, they are always gone. But, tonight, instead, I'm serving my meatballs as lollipops.
Not only are the lollipop appetizers fun, but they are easy to eat at a party too. People tend to stand around in the kitchen talking during my parties, and being able to grab a pop is so convenient.
To make these lollipops, I covered the meatballs in ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese then wrapped them in crescent dough and baked. I'll serve these hot lollipops to my guests with marinara sauce for dipping.
Meatball Lasagna Lollipops
Ingredients
(makes 33)
ricotta cheese filling
mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Pillsbury Crescent Dough Sheets or pizza dough - Don't use regular crescent rolls. They have too many seams. Get the dough sheets or use tubes of Pillsbury pizza dough.
frozen meatballs
marinara sauce for dipping
Supplies
wooden caramel apple sticks, wooden skewers, or lollipop sticks
3-inch round metal cookie cutter
Instructions
Make the cheese filling.
Stir together the ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. You can add salt and pepper to season the filling if you like.
Unroll a crescent dough sheet onto a cutting board.
Cut and fill the dough rounds.
Use a 3-inch round metal cookie cutter to cut 11 circles from the dough. Discard the scraps or bake them and enjoy a snack.
Spoon a teaspoon of the cheese onto each circle.
Wrap meatballs in the dough rounds.
Place one frozen meatball on top of the cheese. Pull up opposite sides of the dough and pinch together.
Continue to pull up the dough, pinching it to close all the seams then roll it around in the palm of your hand to smooth out the seams.
Place the dough-wrapped meatballs seam side down on a non-stick tin foil-lined baking sheet (or a non-stick pan) and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Repeat this process with two more crescent dough sheets.
Insert skewers.
Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bake dough-wrapped meatballs for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. I rotated my pan midway through baking so they browned evenly.
Remove from oven, immediately insert a lollipop stick into each, and serve these Meatball Lollipops with hot marinara dipping sauce.
Related Recipes
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Wrap meatballs in a creamy ricotta filling and crescent roll dough and bake to create these fun appetizers served on a stick.
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- ⅔ cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 tubes crescent dough sheets or pizza dough sheets
- 33 frozen meatballs
- ½ cup marinara sauce for dipping
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Stir together the ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese.
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Unroll a crescent dough sheet onto a cutting board.
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Use a 3 inch round metal cookie cutter to cut 11 circles from the dough. Discard the scraps or bake them and enjoy a snack.
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Spoon a teaspoon of the cheese onto each circle.
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Place one frozen meatball on top of the cheese. Pull up opposite sides of the dough and pinch together. Continue to pull up the dough, pinching it to close all the seams then roll it around in the palm of your hand to smooth out the seams.
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Place the dough-wrapped meatballs seam side down on a non-stick tin foil-lined baking sheet (or a non-stick pan) and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
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Repeat, making a total of 33 dough-wrapped meatballs.
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Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown rotating the pan midway through so the crescent dough browns evenly.
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Remove the meatballs from the oven and immediately insert a long wooden skewer or lollipop stick into each.
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Warm the marinara sauce in the microwave or on the stove.
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Serve the meatball lollipops with the marinara sauce.
You can make these ahead and keep them covered well in the refrigerator before baking. Or you can bake them ahead and rewarm them in a 250-degree oven for about 8 minutes until heated through.
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Anonymous says
Did you thaw the meatballs first?
beth says
No, use frozen meatballs. By the time you wrap them then put then in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, then bake them, they come out perfect.