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    Home » Recipes » Appetizer Recipes » Air Fryer Spaghetti and Meatball Muffins

    Published: Aug 3, 2019 · Modified: Apr 26, 2021 by Linda Warren

    Air Fryer Spaghetti and Meatball Muffins

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Check out this fun way to get your pasta fix with these Air Fryer Spaghetti and Meatball Muffins. Small nests made of spaghetti with a mini meatball set right in the center and, plenty of ooey gooey cheese, all in the perfect finger food! Great for a game day appetizer, back to school lunchbox treat, or a quick and easy dinner. Regular oven options are given too.

    Appetizer spread with cheese board and pasta muffins.

    This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Make it Italian at Publix. The opinions and text are mine.

    Pasta Muffins

    Summer is coming to an end and I'm starting to think of easy lunches for kids, quick dinners, and lots of comfort food. These Spaghetti and Meatball Muffins check all the boxes.

    They're quick to make, have all the flavors of your favorite pasta meal and work great for an appetizer, after-school snack lunchboxes, or even dinner. Believe me, the kids will love devouring these!

    Overhead of cheese board and muffin tin Spaghetti and Meatballs.

    It was perfect timing since my favorite grocery store, Publix, was holding their "Make It Italian" promotion. So many tasty products with great savings that I actually bought enough to make more of my favorite Italian dinners. You know, like Homemade Meat Lasagna and Homemade Pepperoni Pizza and my football favorite, Pizza Dip. Check out all the savings HERE starting August 3, 2019.

    Today's Muffin Tin Spaghetti and Meatballs was the perfect recipe to use some of the delicious new products they had on special, like Ronzoni Homestyle Pasta and Bertolli® Rustic Cut Pasta Sauce. You won't believe how easy and fun these are to make, just in time for football games and holiday parties.

    closeup on Spaghetti and Meatball Muffins with blurred sauce in background.

    Some Great Benefits to Making Pasta Muffins 

    • A great way to use up leftover pasta. These work with both long-strand spaghetti, elbows, and ziti.
    • Hide hidden vegetables in the sauce or meatballs. No one will know they're getting their veggies too!
    • Perfect meal prep item for lunch boxes and easy dinners. 
    • I love these as leftovers. Whoever thought of spaghetti and meatballs as finger food!!
    • Change up the beef meatballs with turkey or chicken versions or even vegetarian versions.

    Easy Steps to Make Spaghetti and Meatball Muffins

    Steps to make pasta mixture.
    1. Place cooked pasta in a large bowl. (photo 1)
    2. Pour sauce over pasta and mix well. (photo 2)
    3. Add beaten egg and stir. (photo 3)
    4. Sprinkle in shredded mozzarella cheese. (photo 4)
    5. Add grated Parmesan cheese. (photo 5)
    6. Stir well. Ready to fill muffin cups. (photo 6)
    Air Frying steps
    1. Stuff muffin cups with pasta mixture, pressing down to make them compact. (photo 7)
    2. Fill all muffin cups. (photo 8)
    3. Place as many muffin cups as will comfortably fit in your air fryer. (photo 9)
    4. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until pasta is a little brown and cheese has melted. (photo 10)
    Adding meatball steps to finish muffins.
    1. Carefully take out of air fryer with tongs and place one cooked meatball in the center of each spaghetti nest. (photo 11)
    2. Spoon a little pasta sauce over the meatball. (photo 12)
    3. Sprinkle more mozzarella cheese on top of the sauce. (photo 13)
    4. Place back in the fryer for 2 more minutes. (photo 14)

    Let them cool slightly then squeeze the silicone muffin cup lightly and take out the pasta muffin and plate. Serve with additional marinara on the side.

    Ready to party with appetizers and vanity fair napkins

    Dinners are so much fun when we have these Spaghetti and Meatball Muffins! And the cleanup is as easy as the prep. I like to serve these Pasta Muffins with a side of French bread, deliciously made fresh at my Publix Bakery, or a fresh salad. If having for a tailgating or cocktail party, I pair it up with a cheese and fruit board plus some Vanity Fair Extra Absorbent Napkins. Enjoy!

    More Easy Air Fryer Recipes

    • Air Fryer Southwest Egg Rolls
    • Air Fryer Pork Chops
    • Air Fryer Chicken Wings
    • Air Fryer Hot Dogs

    Find lots of healthy air fryer recipes here on 2CM!

    Love quick & easy recipes? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest & Twitter for all the latest recipe inspiration! Plus join my email list and receive our free e-book.

    Appetizer spread with pasta sauce and penne packaging and flowers.

    Spaghetti and Meatball Muffins

    Get your pasta fix with Spaghetti & Meatball Muffins. Pasta nests with meatball center, gooey cheese, in the perfect finger food! Great lunchbox treat too!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Rate
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 6 minutes
    Total Time: 21 minutes
    Servings: 24 muffins
    Calories: 120kcal
    Author: Linda Warren

    Ingredients

    • 8.8 oz Ronzoni Homestyle Pasta
    • 2 cups Bertolli® Rustic Cut Pasta Sauce
    • 1 egg slightly beaten
    • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
    • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
    • 24 meatballs cooked

    Instructions

    • Cook pasta according to package directions.
    • Place pasta in large bowl and mix in 1-½ cups marinara.
    • Stir in beaten egg.
    • Add 1 cup mozzarella and ½ cup Parmesan to pasta mixture and stir well.
    • Spray silicone baking cups with nonstick spray.
    • Fill each cup with pasta mixture, pressing down to make more compact.
    • Place the baking cups in your air fryer. Make sure there is enough room for air to flow freely around them. Don’t overcrowd. These can be done in stages until all are cooked.
    • Cook for 4-5 minutes at 390 degrees Fahrenheit. Carefully remove from air fryer with large tongs.
    • Push a meatball into the center of each muffin cup. Top with a little more sauce and a sprinkling of mozzarella.
    • Return to air fryer and cook an additional 2 minutes at 390 degrees F.
    • Remove with tongs and set aside to cool slightly.
    • Repeat with remaining Spaghetti and Meatball Muffins.
    • Once cooled, they can be taken out of the silicone cups and placed on a serving platter. Serve with additional pasta sauce on the side.
    • These muffins can be wrapped singly for lunchboxes, snacks or freeze for future use.
    • To reheat from frozen, place in microwave and cook for 1 minute. If still a little cold, add more time in 30 second increments.

    Notes

    Regular Oven Instructions
    • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a nonstick muffin tin with nonstick spray.
    • Proceed to pack in pasta mixture as described above. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
    • Remove and add meatball to center, top with sauce and a sprinkling of cheese.
    • Place under broiler until cheese melts and browns.
    • Carefully remove muffin from muffin tin and serve with additional marinara on side.

    Some Great Benefits to making Pasta Muffins 

    • A great way to use up leftover pasta. These work with both long strand spaghetti, elbows and ziti.
    • Hide hidden vegetables in the sauce or meatballs. No one will know they're getting their veggies too!
    • Perfect meal prep item for lunch boxes and easy dinners. 
    • I love these as leftovers. Whoever thought of spaghetti and meatballs as a finger food!!
    • Change up the beef meatballs with turkey or chicken versions or even vegetarian versions.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 208mg | Potassium: 143mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 179IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 1mg

    This post has been updated and was first published on August 3, 2019.

    More Appetizer Recipes

    • Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas
    • Hawaiian Roll Breakfast Sliders
    • Apple Bacon Cheese Phyllo Cup Appetizers
    • Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Tisha says

      August 04, 2019 at 12:58 am

      5 stars
      Love this idea! Such a great dinner dish everyone will love!

      Reply
    2. Genevieve says

      August 03, 2019 at 10:45 pm

      Christina! I had no idea you also had a food blog! From one blogger to another, bravo! And this recipe looks amazing!

      Reply
    3. Sandi says

      August 03, 2019 at 9:34 pm

      This is totally genius! Kids will go crazy for these :-).

      Reply
      • Linda Warren says

        August 13, 2019 at 4:00 pm

        they really are fun and delicious. Even the big kids went crazy. lol

        Reply
    4. Adrianne says

      August 03, 2019 at 9:30 pm

      5 stars
      That is so cool that you can make these in the air fryer! I am new to that type of cooking so it is awesome to see that you can do such versatile recipes in there. YUM!!

      Reply
      • Linda Warren says

        August 13, 2019 at 4:01 pm

        The air fryer is now my new favorite appliance. It's great for making quick dinners as well as appetizers.

        Reply
    5. Ellen says

      August 03, 2019 at 8:21 pm

      What a fun dish! I know this will be a hit with my family.

      Reply

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