Halloween Meatballs | Appetizer Recipe

This creepy little Halloween food idea is perfect for both adult, and kid Halloween parties, and it is guaranteed to be the most enjoyable of all the festive food. Yes! Creepy looking food that actually tastes great. It's the best of both worlds.

SPOOKY FOOD THAT TASTES GREAT

When it comes to Halloween food, we want it to be festive, spooky, and fun, but mostly, still edible. Luckily this is a Halloween appetizer that will be a hit in both departments. Cause when it comes down to it, everybody loves a meatball, and while these Monster Meatballs may look absolutely terrible, the flavor is completely divine.

Within these Monster Meatballs, you'll find scary big flavor from fresh ingredients like red bell peppers, onion, and garlic. They have a touch of a Mediterranean flair thanks to a combination of briny green olives, orange zest and a sprinkle of cloves.

Now, I know this combination might sound a little exotic to some, but trust me, it works. In fact, I've used this exact recipe at our annual Christmas party and also for a game day party (obviously skipping the gruesome eyeball in the center) and the crowd always goes wild over the flavor. Cocktail meatballs are always a hit, olive eyeball or not.

The homemade breadcrumbs help to keep it perfectly tender (its easy, don't worry), and the sweet and tangy jelly sauce is the perfect contradiction to the meatballs savory bite.

HOW TO MAKE HALLOWEEN MEATBALLS

We've talked about what's in them, now let's talk about how to make them.

PREP + MIX

First things first: Sauté some veggies, reserving half of them for the sauce. Then, it's on to the breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs are soaked in milk to soften up. This helps to keep our meatballs nice and tender. Then, in goes an egg for binding, along with the cooked vegetables, chopped olives, and spices.

ADD BEEF + FORM THE MEATBALLS

Once this mixture comes together, the beef goes in, and you gently mix it together with your hands. Form the meatballs either using your hands (or use a cookie scoop for meatballs more uniform in size), and it's transformation time.

INSERT THE OLIVE SLICES

To give our Halloween meatballs a gruesome look, sliced green olives are gently nestled deep into the formed meatball. Insert the olive as close to the center of the meatball as you can get it without destroying its form. This will help the olive to stay put. Then, bake the meatballs until browned and fully cooked through.

BAKE + MAKE THE SAUCE

While the meatballs are cooking, you make the sauce. The sauce is a simple mixture of the reserved sautéed vegetables, green pepper jelly, soy sauce, and tomato paste. It all comes together and creates a savory-sweet sauce that perfectly complements our Mediterranean Halloween Meatballs, and most importantly, looks kind of slimy.

When it all comes together, you've got a slimy, monster eyeball staring you right in the face. If that's not a creepy Halloween food idea, I don't know what is.

All of the ingredients meld perfectly together to create one spooky explosion of flavor. They can be kept warm in a crockpot or chafing dish throughout the evening, making them perfect for before and after trick-or-treating!

MORE HALLOWEEN PARTY FOOD RECIPES

If you're on the hunt for more spooky (yet delicious) Halloween party food ideas, you might want to give Dead Man's Fingers with a trio of dips a try! While they may look grotesque, they're actually just Lil' Smokies, cut up to look like wretched finger food, and served alongside a tangy BBQ sauce dip, a pickle relish dip, and a pepper jelly cream cheese dip, all equipped with spooky titles perfect for scaring off guests.

For a savory dinner idea, Swamp Monster Spaghetti is perfect for both grown-ups and the kids, and don't forget the sweet Halloween treats! From Chocolate Cyclops Cookies to Halloween blondies! 

That they look great taste great - fun halloween party food fun to eat gourment flvors

Print Recipe

4.23 from 9 votes

Halloween Monster Meatballs

A Halloween appetizer recipe featuring Mediterranean-flavored meatballs made with red peppers, garlic, and a green pepper jelly sauce. 

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Halloween Monster Meatballs

Servings: 25 Meatballs

Calories: 131kcal

Author: Kelly Anthony

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ red bell pepper cored seeded and finely chopped
• ½ red onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp minced Italian parsley
• 1 cup green pepper jelly
• Juice of an orange
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 ¾ tsp of Kosher Salt separated
• ½ cup plain bread crumbs
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 Egg slightly beaten
• 2 pounds  80/20 ground beef
• 2 tablespoons chopped pimento-stuffed green olives
• ½ teaspoon orange zest
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 12 pimento-stuffed green olives sliced into ¼” rings

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400° and have ready two rimmed baking sheets lined with aluminum foil and a crockpot on the warm setting.
• Add olive oil to a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, sauté bell pepper and onion about 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Add the parsley and remove the pan from the heat.
• Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to a large mixing bowl and set the pan aside.
• In the large bowl, add bread crumbs and milk, and stir to combine. Stir in the egg. Then, add in ground beef, chopped olives, orange zest, 1 ½ tsp Kosher salt, pepper, and cloves. Using your hands, mix until all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
• Roll about 2 tablespoons worth of the beef mixture into a ball and place them at least 1” apart on the baking sheets. Create a fairly deep well in the center of the meatball using your finger. Place an olive slice within the well of each meatball. Bake for 25 minutes.
• While the meatballs are baking, finish the sauce. Return the saucepan to the stovetop over medium heat and add pepper jelly, juice of an orange, tomato paste, vinegar, soy sauce, and a ¼ teaspoon of Kosher salt. Stir until the jelly has melted.
• Once meatballs are cool enough to handle, transfer them to a serving dish, and pour over the jelly mixture. Serve and enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 131kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 283mg | Potassium: 140mg | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 195IU | Vitamin C: 4.6mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg