Description
Italian Meatball Garlic Bread Boats are the ultimate fusion of two comfort food classics featuring crispy, buttery garlic bread cradling juicy meatballs smothered in rich tomato sauce and melted cheese.
Ingredients
Scale
- Ingredients for the Meatball Fillings:
- 12 cooked beef meatballs (homemade or frozen, thawed)
- 1 ½ cups marinara sauce or arrabbiata sauce
- 1 ½ cups low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- Ingredients for the Garlic Butter Bread Boats:
- 4 mini French baguettes or artisan hoagie rolls
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Instructions:
- Prep Oven & Rolls: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut a V-shaped slice out of the top of each baguette, hollow out some of the soft interior bread with your fingers to form a trough/boat shape, leaving a ½-inch thick border around the sides and bottom.
- Make Garlic Butter: In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, minced garlic, chopped parsley, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt.
- Brush Bread Boats: Generously brush the garlic butter all over the inside, outer crust, and edges of each hollowed-out bread boat.
- Warm Meatballs in Sauce: In a medium saucepan or skillet, combine the cooked beef meatballs and marinara sauce. Simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes until meatballs are coated and heated through.
- Assemble Boats: Sprinkle a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese directly into the bottom of each garlic bread boat. Place 3 warm meatballs inside each roll along with generous spoons of marinara sauce. Top with remaining mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese.
- Bake & Toast: Bake for 15–18 minutes until the cheese is completely melted, bubbly, and golden brown, and the garlic bread crust is crispy.
- Garnish & Serve: Garnish with fresh chopped basil or extra parsley. Serve hot immediately alongside extra warm marinara sauce for dipping!
Notes
- Use room temperature butter for easier mixing.
- Let the boats rest for two minutes after baking to allow the cheese to set.
- Don’t forget to hollow the bread properly to avoid a soggy bottom.
- Keep the heat medium-low when warming meatballs to avoid burning the garlic.
- Don’t overfill beyond the boat edges to prevent cheese overflow and burning.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 boat
- Calories: 650
Keywords: Italian Meatball Garlic Bread Boats, garlic bread, meatballs, marinara, comfort food, weeknight dinner