RITZ Sausage and Cheese Bites

Name: RITZ Sausage and Cheese Bites
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 16
Ingredients: 78 RITZ Crackers, divided; 1 lb. 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 fresh basil

Homemade meatballs are the secret to these delicious party appetizers. Make ahead and freeze the meatballs to make last minute party prep easier.

Prep time:

0 min

Total time:

0 min

Servings:

Makes 16 servings, 3 topped crackers each.

Ingredient list

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

Directions

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

VariationPrepare 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.