Cheese Stuffed Meatballs with Spicy Cheese Sauce
Meet Your New Football Sunday Snack
Cheese Stuffed Meatballs with Spicy Cheese Sauce a simple and delicious football Sunday snack. The savory, cheesy beef meatballs are served in a spicy cheese sauce to create the perfect snack to keep warm in a slow cooker for a party appetizer.
I made these Cheese Stuffed Meatballs with Spicy Cheese Sauce for an event I helped with in the Northwoods and let me tell you, they were SO good. I kept the meatballs warm in one slow cooker and the sauce in another, then people were able to add the sauce when they took a meatball.
Any way these are served is a great way.
The Sauce
Trust me when I tell you I can already hear the whiners on Facebook complaining about the canned soup and the sauce mix. I do not care because this is so good.
The canned soup has some spicy notes to it, but it is not that kind that has your mouth on fire. If you do not want the spice, you can use all cheddar cheese only soup.
The Knorr Parma Rosa sauce is a fan favorite here. I can find it in most any store by the packaged gravy packets.
If you do not see it but they have other Knorr brand packets, just tell the manager to order for you. They can if they carry Knorr.
I also find these on Amazon.
I use these packets of Knorr to make my Instant Pot Ravioli and my Delicious Mushroom Sauce. You can even just make the packets and serve it over your favorite pasta.
Roll Your Balls
There was a debate a few weeks ago on my Facebook Page about the size of meatballs. There is no wrong answer when it comes to ball size.
Roll them as big or as small as you like, just adjust the cooking time depending on the size. Note that the balls shrink as they cook as well.
Cheese Stuffed Meatballs with Spicy Cheese Sauce Recipe
Cheese Stuffed Meatballs with Spicy Cheese Sauce is a fun appetizer for football Sunday. Made with ground beef and cheddar cheese and a delicious spicy cheese sauce. Perfect for the slow cooker.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. of Ground Beef (I use the 85/15 blend)
- 2 sleeves of Saltine Crackers (approximately 60 crackers)
- 1 eight ounce brick of Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1/2 tablespoon of Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tablespoon of Onion Powder
- 2 teaspoons of Black Pepper
- 2 tablespoons of Ketchup
- 2 teaspoons of Salt
- 1 tablespoon of Dried Parsley
- 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Powder
- 2 Eggs
- 1 medium sized Sweet Onion
- 2 packets of Knorr brand Parma Rosa Sauce Mix *picture of this in the post before the recipe card
- 2 cans of Campbell's Spicy Nacho Cheese Soup or Fiesta Cheese Soup
- 2 cans of Campbell's Cheese Soup Mix
- 2.5 cups of 2% or whole milk
- 4 tablespoons of Butter (I used 8 cause I love butter)
- 1 cup of Water
Instructions
- Crush up the crackers into a fine crumble.
- Grate the onion on a cheese grater, then finely dice the larger pieces of onion you cannot grate.
- Cut the cheddar cheese into 35 to 40 smaller cubes. The size of dice.
- In a bowl add the ground beef, the grated onion, the crackers, the two eggs, 1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder, 1/2 tablespoon of onion powder, 2 teaspoons of black pepper, 2 tablespoons of ketchup, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 tablespoon of dried parsley, and 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire powder. Mix until well combined but do not over mix.
- Prepare one or two baking sheets with foil or parchment paper. Form the meat mixture into 1.5 inch to 2 inch balls (note that these shrink as they cook) and press one or two of the cheddar cheese cubes into the center of each ball as you roll them. Make sure you close up the cheese hole. Add to the baking pan.
- Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes. Note that every oven bakes differently so keep an eye on these the first time you make them for the cook time.
- While the meatballs bake, in a deep sided skillet add the cans of cheese soup, the two packets of Parma Rosa mix, the milk, and the water and whisk on low heat until well combined. Bring this to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer on low for 15 to 20 minutes. In the last 10 minutes, add the butter, stirring occasionally as this all simmers. *If you notice this sauce getting too thick add a little more milk and whisk.
- When the meatballs are done, add them to the sauce and stir to coat. These can be kept warm in a slow cooker.
- If you like you can add the sauce and meatballs to a baking dish, cover with shredded cheddar and green onions, and bake at 350° until the cheese is bubbly and brown.