Garlic Knot Meatball Sliders

This recipe for Garlic Knot Meatball Sliders is sponsored by McCormick®. As always, all thoughts, opinions, and recipes are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Shared Appetite!

Yes, seriously. 30 minutes. Let me explain how to plan out this dinner so you reach maximum efficiency. 

• Heat up a small skillet as you chop up the onion and garlic (I mince the garlic for the meatballs and garlic knots all at once to save time) 
• Preheat oven as you sauté onion and garlic, and get the rest of the meatball ingredients in a bowl, as well as prep the meatball and garlic knot baking trays with non-stick cooking spray
• Mix together meatballs and scoop out onto the tray (I use an ice cream scoop with one of those release levers), then put in oven to bake
• Form garlic knots, place on the other baking sheet, and then melt butter in microwave and stir in garlic and herbs. Brush and bake
• Heat up marinara sauce while meatballs and garlic knots finish baking
• Remove everything from oven and serve

You’ll notice below I didn’t give an exact recipe for the marinara sauce. That’s because I know everyone has their preference. It may be a jarred sauce. It may be your own recipe that you made a huge vat of a month ago and have a freezer full of perfectly portioned sauce rations for quick weeknight meals (me!). Or just maybe you have a Nonna that made sure she took good care of you the last time you were there and sent you home with a container of her gravy. Whichever way you go, the sauce is simply a condiment to the main flavors of this dish.  

Don’t be intimidated by shaping these garlic knots for the sliders. It’s just as easy as tying a shoelace. And real talk… if they are a bit misshapen, just go ahead and call these Rustic Garlic Knot Meatball Sliders. Win-win.  

Also, speaking of garlic knots. You have some options with the dough. While at the supermarket, you can find refrigerated pizza dough in those canisters that pop open, and the dough unfolds and rolls out for maximum ease. That’s what I used here, because I was already at the grocery store picking up all the other ingredients. If you want a more elevated garlic knot experience, I highly recommend stopping by your local pizzeria the day you plan on making these Garlic Knot Meatball Sliders. They’ll happily sell you a pizza dough for a few bucks. Make sure to let them know exactly when you plan on making your knots, because they will select a dough that will be perfectly risen and will stretch nicely, given your timeline.  

I’m a fan of big, bold flavors. And throughout all my escapades in the kitchen, I know that I can always rely on McCormick® spices to deliver in the flavor department.  

The McCormick® Perfect Pinch® Italian Seasoning is a perfectly blended seasoning that adds the flavor of the Italian kitchen to your dishes. It’s a classic combination of aromatic herbs such as thyme, oregano and basil; and is great for use in cooking or at the table. I love how it adds so much depth of flavor to the meatballs and garlic knots! 

Not sure if you’ve noticed this lately about your local Stop and Shop, but I love love LOVE that they recently renovated a bunch by me and added a perpendicular aisle at the halfway point, or supermarket equator if you will. It makes it so much easier to find everything I’m looking for and saves me a lot of time while food shopping!  

When it comes to serving up these Garlic Knot Meatball Sliders, I love just piling all the garlic knots on one plate and then the meatballs with sauce in a separate bowl. Our kids love “picking out” their favorite garlic knots and making their own sliders!  

And of course, if you want to sprinkle your meatballs with a little parm for that extra visual appeal, or even add a slice of mozzarella in your sliders, that’s never a bad idea!

Print

Garlic Knot Meatball Sliders

---

• Author: Chris Cockren
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 12 sliders (4 servings) 1x

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

for the Meatballs

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 3 teaspoons McCormick Parsley Flakes
• 1 teaspoon McCormick Perfect Pinch Italian Seasoning
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 cups marinara sauce

for the Garlic Knots

• 2 (13.8 ounce) canisters pizza crust (or 1 large pizza crust from local pizzeria)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon McCormick Perfect Pinch Italian Seasoning
• 1 teaspoon McCormick Parsley Flakes
• 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

for the Meatballs

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.  Heat olive oil over medium heat in a small skillet.  Cook onion until softened, stirring occasionally, about 4-6 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Combine onion mixture with beef, egg, parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, milk, parsley, Italian seasoning, and salt.  Stir until just fully incorporated.  Scoop (I used an ice cream scoop) meatballs (you should have 12 in total) onto a greased baking tray.
3. Bake meatballs until the internal temperature reaches 165°F, approximately 20 minutes.

for the Garlic Knots

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.  Using a pizza cutter, slice dough into 12 strips.  Shape dough into into knots.  Place knots on a greased baking sheet.
2. Mix together remaining ingredients in a small bowl.  Brush half of garlic herb butter on knots.  Bake for 12-14 minutes, until golden brown.  Brush with remaining garlic herb butter and slice.

 

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes

Garlic Knot Meatball Sliders