Meatball Parm Holiday Wreath

The following recipe and photography is courtesy of Lauren Schulte. To see more of her bites and meals, visit her Instagram @TheBiteSizePantry.

 When choosing an appetizer to wow your guests with, this Meatball Parm Holiday Wreath utilizing prepared Italian meatballs from Heinen’s Meat Department is the way to go!

It’s a “parm’itivly” festive and a fun centerpiece for your grazing table this holiday season.

When you think about all of your friends and family visiting, you certainly don’t want to think about all of the prep work! Thankfully, Heinen’s Meat Department takes the hassle of our hosting and cooking with their freshly-prepared meatballs. For my Meatball Parm Holiday Wreath appetizer, I use Heinen’s precooked Italian meatballs. Their meat associates are always very helpful and excited to hear about what you are preparing, so if you need assistance, they always go above and beyond to get you what you need. Preorder as many meatballs as you need to feed all of your guests, just call ahead and place your order with their friendly staff and you’ll be all set.

What’s great about this dish is that it’s simple to set up, too! Just warm the precooked meatballs, then take a medium-size appetizer toothpick and layer meatball, cherry tomato and mozzarella ball. You can also add a sprig of fresh basil for a little added freshness if you wish!

Next, you will take your serving platter (I used a raw wood edge round platter,) and place a dipping bowl in the middle of the plate. You can add your desired dipping sauce such as a marinara or, in this case, I used Brownwood Farms Cherry BBQ Sauce to play off of the cherry tomatoes in the recipe. The sauce has a lovely sweetness to it which I think pairs well with the Italian meatballs.

Place the meatball skewers around the center dipping bowl to achieve a round overlapping look. Lastly, tuck a couple sprigs of rosemary under the skewers to really bring the wreath to life. It looks so good you might even want to hang it on your front door!

Meatball Parm Holiday Wreath

Ingredients

• 2 packs Heinen’s Precooked Italian Meatballs (approx. 16 meatballs or more if you want a fuller looking wreath)
• 16 mozzarella cheese pearls
• 16 cherry tomatoes
• 8-10 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• Brownwood Farms Cherry BBQ or marinara sauce for dipping

Other Accessories

• Medium-size appetizer toothpicks
• Round serving platter
• Small bowl for dipping sauce

Instructions

1. Warm the precooked meatballs in a microwave-safe dish until they reach your desired temperature
2. Take an appetizer toothpick and layer a meatball, a cherry tomato and a mozzarella pearl. Repeat this step for all 16 skewers.
3. Place dipping sauce small bowl in the center of your platter and fill with desired dipping sauce. Begin layering the skewers around the center bowl. Tuck them in together or layer on top of one another so the wreath looks full.
4. Add sprigs of fresh rosemary under some of the skewers to achieve the fresh balsam look of a holiday wreath and you’re ready to stun your guests with this festive presentation.

Click Here to Print the Recipe for the Meatball Parm Holiday Wreath.