This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Farm Rich. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you love meatballs, you’ll love this easy Meatball Marinara Poppers Appetizer. Frozen meatballs are topped with a delicious homemade marinara sauce that is simple to make and full of flavor. It’s a great appetizer for the holidays!

Having easy appetizers on hand and ready to go is essential during the holiday season. Meatballs are traditionally a favorite at parties, but if you make them yourself it can be a little time consuming. My kids love them, so I always make sure to have a package of frozen meatballs on hand, like the Gluten Free Farm Rich Turkey Meatballs I recently picked up at Walmart.

Semi-homemade is almost always the way to go for me. I like to keep it simple in the kitchen. Take for example, these Meatball Poppers. I love a homemade marinara sauce (and mine is incredibly easy to make) but I make it easy on myself by using frozen meatballs along with fresh grated Mozzarella cheese. Just a few easy steps is all it takes! This appetizer takes only 20 minutes from start to delicious finish. First you’ll need to cook the meatballs. You can pop them in the microwave or do like I do and heat them in the oven. Following the package instructions it took about 20 minutes to bake them.

Next it’s time to make the marinara. Start by sauteing some garlic, then adding a large can of crushed tomatoes, some basil, salt and pepper. See I told you it was simple!

Let that delicious sauce simmer, covered, for a good 15 minutes. If you want to kick up the heat, add a little crushed red pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon). At this point, if you’re just making marinara sauce and not the appetizer, you can pour it all into a jar to save.

While the sauce is cooking, grate the Mozzarella. The sauce and meatballs should be finished at about the same time. Just spoon some sauce over each meatball and sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Place the pan under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about ten minutes.

Meatball Poppers with Simple Marinara Sauce

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Author: Kristin

Ingredients

1 package Farm Rich Frozen Meatballs about 40
1-28 can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup freshly grated Mozzarella Cheese

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with foil. Place frozen meatballs on the tray and bake according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds, careful not to let it burn.
Add crushed tomatoes and seasonings and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove meatballs from the oven and switch the oven to broil. Top meatballs with a spoonful of sauce and about a teaspoon or so of shredded Mozzarella. Place the pan under the broiler for about ten minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve with toothpicks immediately.