Garlic Bread Meatball Bombs–meatball stuffed dinner rolls with garlic butter and a marinara dipping sauce.

Garlic Bread Meatball Bombs
“They were actually like so good can’t even explain it 👌😋” This was the text that we got from a 13-year-old neighbor girl who we shared some of these with. Haha! I thought that was pretty cute. I do have to agree with her. The bread, the meatballs the dipping sauce all taste great on their own but when put together it comes to a whole new level. They are fun to make and delicious to eat!
Ingredients you’ll need…
For the Dough:
- All purpose flour
- White sugar
- Instant yeast–also called quick rise yeast
- Salt
- Milk
- Water
- Butter
- Eggs
For the Meatballs:
- Ground pork
- Lean ground beef–I like to use 90/10 or 93/7
- Dried diced onion–or 1/2 cup diced fresh onion
- Breadcrumbs–plain, Italian or panko
- Egg
- Dried parsley
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- Worcestershire sauce
For the garlic butter:
- Butter
- Garlic powder
- Italian seasoning
- Pepper
For the dipping sauce:
- Tomato sauce
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Italian seasoning
Instructions:
There are a few parts to this recipe. First, you’ll make the dough. Second, you’ll stuff the dough with homemade meatballs. Then you’ll bake. Finally you will make a delicious dipping sauce and eat.
Make the dough
- In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or in a large mixing bowl) add 1 ½ cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Set aside.
- In the microwave or on the stove heat the milk, water and butter to 120°-130° F (this isn’t that hot, I use a digital thermometer*).
- Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Stir a few strokes. Then add in the eggs.
- Mix on low speed adding in 1 cup of flour at a time until it starts to clear the sides of the bowl. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic (just a minute or two).
- Place dough in a greased bowl and let raise for 1 hour OR place in greased Instant Pot liner and set Instant Pot to yogurt function LESS (use adjust button to get it to less, it should say 24 hours) and let it raise for 25-30 minutes. Dough will double in size.
- Punch the dough down. Then divide it into 15 equal portions (mine was 3 ounces each).
Make the meatball mixture
- Combine all meatballs ingredients in a bowl. Use your clean hands (or gloved hands) to mix the ingredients well.
Put it all together
- Press the dough portions flat into a circle about 4-5 inches in diameter.
- Take 2 tablespoons of the meatball mixture and form into a ball.
- Place the meat into the middle of the dough.
- Bring the edges together and pinch them to seal the dough completely. It will look like a large roll. Continue until all the dough and meatball mixture has been used.
Bake
- Heat oven to 350° F.
- Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Add all 15 of the dough balls into the pan. It will be a tight fit.
- Combine the garlic butter ingredients together in a small bowl and stir. Use a pastry brush to brush the mixture over the dough balls.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Make the dipping sauce and serve
- Stir together all the dipping sauce ingredients and heat through in a pan on the stove or in the microwave.
- Serve the meatball rolls with the dipping sauce.

Can I use frozen meatballs?
Yes you can. If you’d rather use premade and precooked meatballs that are frozen that will totally work fine. While you are making the bread portion of the recipe take 15 meatballs out of the freezer and let thaw while you are working.
Can I use frozen dough?
Yes you can. Try using Rhodes rolls instead of homemade dough. You will need to let the dough thaw first until it is cold to the touch. Then roll out the dough into a circle. Place a meatball into the middle of the circle and then pinch to close. Place on a baking sheet and let rise for 45 minutes. Then bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
What if I don’t have a stand mixer?
If you don’t have a stand mixer you can stir the dough together in a bowl with a wooden spoon and then knead a bit with your hands.
What if I don’t have a yogurt button on my Instant Pot?
Instead of raising the dough in your Instant Pot place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a towel. Place on your counter for an hour to raise.
How to use the yogurt button to proof dough
All you do is oil the pot so that the dough doesn’t stick. Place the dough in the bottom of your pot. Then select the yogurt button. Use the adjust button to cycle through until the light is on the “less.” My pot says 24 hours on the display. Then cover the pot with a glass lid or a plate. Let the dough double in size.
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Garlic Bread Meatball Bombs
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 15 rolls 1x
Description
Meatball stuffed dinner rolls with garlic butter and a marinara dipping sauce.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 4 1/2 tsp instant yeast (also called quick rise yeast)
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
Meatballs:
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1/2 lb lean ground beef
- 1 Tbsp dried diced onion (or 1/2 cup diced fresh onion)
- 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
For the garlic butter:
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/8 tsp pepper
Dipping Sauce:
- 2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
Make the dough:
- In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or in a large mixing bowl) add 1 ½ cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Set aside.
- In the microwave or on the stove heat the milk, water and butter to 120°-130° F (this isn’t that hot, I use a digital thermometer*).
- Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Stir a few strokes. Then add in the eggs.
- Mix on low speed adding in 1 cup of flour at a time until it starts to clear the sides of the bowl. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic (just a minute or two).
- Place dough in a greased bowl and let raise for 1 hour OR place in greased Instant Pot liner and set Instant Pot to yogurt function LESS (use adjust button to get it to less, it should say 24 hours) and let it raise for 25-30 minutes. Dough will double in size.
- Punch the dough down. Then divide it into 15 equal portions (mine was 3 ounces each).
Make the meatball mixture:
- Combine all meatballs ingredients in a bowl. Use your clean hands (or gloved hands) to mix the ingredients well.
Put it all together:
- Press the dough portions flat into a circle about 4-5 inches in diameter.
- Take 2 tablespoons of the meatball mixture and form into a ball.
- Place the meat into the middle of the dough.
- Bring the edges together and pinch them to seal the dough completely. It will look like a large roll. Continue until all the dough and meatball mixture has been used.
Bake:
- Heat oven to 350° F.
- Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Add all 15 of the dough balls into the pan. It will be a tight fit.
- Combine the garlic butter ingredients together in a small bowl and stir. Use a pastry brush to brush the mixture over the dough balls.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Make the dipping sauce:
- Stir together all the dipping sauce ingredients and heat through in a pan on the stove or in the microwave.
Serve:
- Serve the meatball rolls with the dipping sauce.
- Category: Beef/Pork
- Method: Oven

*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
I plan on making these tomorrow. I already made and cooked the meatballs, but i am wondering if I can add mozzarella cheese to the middle with the meatball. Thanks!
Oh yes that would be amazing
My family loved them!! I had to make dairy free and used oat milk and df butter. I did precook my meatballs. I will definitely make these again as they were a huge hit. The family loves them!!
Now to figure out if I can make them gluten free for my mom.
Thanks so much for these! Christy
★★★★★
Wow so glad that your version worked so well! Thanks for the 5 stars!
You are welcome! I have some frozen gluten free pizza dough from a local Gluten free bakery so we are going to try it so I can share this with my mom.
BTW…my boys keep asking when I’m making them again. Looks like it will be this weekend. 😊
Why don’t you cook the meat first? I’m always worried about undercooked meat.
If you’re worried about it you can definitely pre-cook the meatballs
Thank you for responding. I made them today. They are very good. I didn’t precook the meat and I used ground turkey. I also used the frozen dough you suggested. I can see different variations of the stuffing in the future.
Oh good! Glad to know it worked out this way 🙂
Just in time for the superbowl.
I can’t wait to make this! I saw a buffalo chicken version of this involving a football shaped cooking pan (which I did order and I will make), but this looks more appealing to my regular family folk who are not buffalo sauce fans.
We have a late, extended family Christmas gathering (yeah, 1 month+ late; it’s how we roll) scheduled for next weekend and I think my nieces will go ape for this recipe. Buckle up, buttercup… we’re doing some garlic bread meatball bombs.
More to follow
★★★★★
Can’t wait to hear all about it Tom!
Is there any way to make this with store bought pizza or pastry dough?
I haven’t tried that but I bet it would work! I bet you could use biscuit dough as well.
Any guidance on freezing them after making?
To freeze, allow the bombs to fully cool. Wrap individually in aluminum foil and transfer each bomb to a sealable sandwich bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Hi! Can I use heavy cream or almond milk? Thanks!
yes you can