Meatball Sliders with Whipped Ricotta
My Meatball Sliders with Whipped Ricotta are the perfect lightened up recipe to feed a crowd! Savory, juicy meatballs are tossed in marinara sauce and served up on slider rolls with a dollop of fluffy, whipped ricotta cheese. Serve these tasty meatball sliders at your next party and watch them disappear!
Prep Time25 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
45 minutes mins
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 12
Calories: 220kcal
Whipped Ricotta:
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Meatballs:
- 1 pound 93% lean ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 large egg
- ½ small onion, grated or finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh parsley
- ¼ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Other:
- 1 cup jarred marinara sauce (I like Rao's marinara sauce)
- 12 soft slider rolls (preferably whole wheat), toasted
Preheat oven to 375°F.
To make the whipped ricotta, blend the ricotta cheese, olive oil, and a pinch of salt together in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.
To make the meatballs, mix the ground beef, egg, onion, garlic, milk, parsley, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Form the mixture into 12 meatballs and place them on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven until cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F, about 18-20 minutes.
Heat the marinara sauce in a large bowl in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove until warmed through. Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and stir to combine.
To assemble the sliders, place a meatball on each roll bottom and spoon a little marinara sauce on top. Top each meatball with a dollop of whipped ricotta and add the roll tops. Devour!
Notes:
- Use whole milk ricotta for this dish so that it whips up to a nice fluffy consistency. You can use reduced fat ricotta but it won't be as creamy.
- I like to make my own homemade meatballs for these sliders but you can absolutely use store-bought frozen meatballs if you're short on time.
- I like to use a box grater or microplane zester/grater to grate onion into the meatball mix. It keeps the meat moist and adds flavor. Plus, you won’t have chunks of onion in the meatballs. If you don’t have a grater, you can chop the onion finely or substitute ½ teaspoon onion powder.
- You can make air fryer meatballs instead of baking them in the oven. Cook the meatballs in a preheated air fryer at 360F for 10-12 minutes until cooked through.
Serving: 1 slider | Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 405mg | Potassium: 275mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 273IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 2mg