Meatball stuffed pretzel bites

Super simple meatball stuffed pretzel bites that are sure to please a crowd! Double this for your next get together and serve with a side of marinara or cheese sauce. The meatballs inside are an added surprise!

For those of you that follow me on Facebook, you know that I made these for the big football game in February. I was a bit apprehensive since I am terrible at making pretzels. I can never get the baking soda mixture right so my pretzels turn out super pale.

I am pleased to say that this time, my pretzels were successful. They turned a beautiful golden brown after baking in the oven and actually tasted like real pretzels. I had a bit of help this time as I used store-bought pizza dough (gasp!) since I didn’t have much time to make my own pizza dough.

I baked these earlier in the day and reheated them right before game time. I was able to store them in the refrigerator and warmed them up (covered with a piece of aluminum foil) in a hot oven. We happily enjoyed dunking these in marinara sauce and thought they were a wonderful appetizer.

If you want to, you can use mini meatballs and divide the dough into smaller pieces for a higher quantity. Or, you can just double the recipe below to feed a crowd. I’m pretty sure these will be a hit at your next sports viewing or any other food gathering.

Meatball stuffed pretzel bites

A super simple pretzel appetizer that is sure to please a crowd! Double this for your next get together and serve with a side of marinara or cheese sauce. The meatballs inside are an added surprise!
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Appetizer, Savory
Servings: 14
Author: Eva Bakes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pizza dough left out at room temperature for 15-20 minutes (I used a package of refrigerated pizza dough from the grocery store)
  • 14 frozen meatballs thawed
  • ¼ cup baking soda
  • 5 cups water
  • 1 egg beaten
  • Coarse sea salt

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 420 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside.
  • Roll out the pizza dough into a rectangle and cut it into 14 equal parts (rectangle shape).
  • Place a meatball in the center of the dough and pinch to close. Make sure all seams are secure. Patch up any holes as needed.
  • Boil 5 cups of water. Add in the baking soda and return to a boil.
  • Drop in 3 or 4 dough balls at a time into the baking soda mixture for about 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, remove the dough balls and place it on your prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough balls.
  • Brush the egg onto the dough and sprinkle the tops with coarse sea salt.
  • Bake in your preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
  • These bites are best served hot right after you remove them from the oven. We like dipping ours into marinara sauce, but a melty cheese sauce would be just as good.

Notes

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave or in a low temperature oven.
Source: Barely adapted from Buzzfeed

 

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