Description
Create a fun and spooky Halloween dinner with these easy Monster Meatballs. Made with a flavorful blend of ground meat, Parmesan, and aromatic spices, these meatballs are browned to perfection, simmered in rich spaghetti sauce, and topped with black olive ‘eyes’ to give them a creepy yet delicious look that kids and adults will love.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatball Ingredients
- 1 lb ground meat (beef, pork, or a mix)
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups spaghetti sauce
- Black olives, sliced (for decorating eyes)
Instructions
- Mix Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine ground meat, breadcrumbs, egg, grated Parmesan, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper thoroughly until all ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Shape Meatballs: Using your hands, form the mixture into small balls approximately the size of a golf ball to ensure they cook evenly and are easy to eat.
- Cook: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs carefully, cooking them until they are nicely browned on all sides, about 10 minutes total, turning occasionally to ensure even color.
- Add Sauce: Pour the spaghetti sauce over the browned meatballs in the pan. Reduce heat to low and let them simmer gently for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the meatballs to cook through.
- Decorate: Remove from heat and top each meatball with two black olive slices to create spooky ‘monster eyes’ for a fun Halloween touch. Serve warm with your favorite sides.
Notes
- Use any ground meat of your choice or a combination for varied flavor.
- Breadcrumbs help bind the meatballs but can be swapped with gluten-free options if necessary.
- Simmering the meatballs in sauce ensures they stay moist and flavorful.
- Black olives provide a decorative and edible eye, but you can use small mozzarella balls or sliced cherry tomatoes as alternatives.
- These meatballs can also be baked at 375°F (190°C) for 20-25 minutes if preferred over pan-frying.
- Serve with spaghetti, garlic bread, or a simple green salad for a complete meal.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Pan-frying and Simmering
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 meatballs (about 150g)
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
Keywords: Halloween dinner, monster meatballs, spooky meatballs, easy meatball recipe, kid-friendly Halloween food
