This Cheesy Halloween Ghost Meatball Skillet is flavorful, made in one pan, and can be served with spaghetti or on sub rolls for sandwiches. It's an easy dinner idea with a ghastly twist for spooky season!
This post may contain affiliate links. Making a purchase through one of these links helps support this blog.
It's that time of year when you never know what's going to show up on the dinner table - snakes, eyeballs, brains, fingers, spiders, and other creepy things whipped into delectable, delicious Halloween dishes. I decided to make a meatball skillet for dinner one night last week - served with spaghetti and rolls to make sandwiches. But instead of a classic meatball dish, I stepped it up for spooky season.
Meatballs get a makeover for Halloween. You know how you can make a simple ghost costume out of a sheet with holes cut in it? It's kind of the same concept, but we're using slices of mozzarella cheese instead. So we make a simple meatball skillet dish and, right before serving, we toss a slice of cheese on top of each meatball. Then, we poke a few holes in each slice to make the meatballs look like ghosts.
Our little, ghoulish meatballs sit in a pool of homemade tomato sauce. Scoop them up and devour over a plate of spaghetti, or place them onto a pillowy sub roll to make a delicious meatball sandwich. You could also eat them straight out of the pan. Making the meatballs in a skillet gives you a bunch of different serving options.
Cheesy Halloween Ghost Meatball Skillet
Even though I'm making my own sauce, I took a shortcut and used Carando brand meatballs. They're uncooked, but they're premade so you can easily put them in a pan and brown them. I used Abruzze style meatballs, which are made with pork, cheese, and seasonings. You can absolutely use frozen meatballs and a jar of marinara sauce instead for this recipe.
If you're using uncooked meatballs (or your favorite homemade recipe), heat around 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Heat over medium heat and place the meatballs into the skillet. Cook, browning on each side, for about 10 minutes.
Once the meatballs are cooked, remove them from the skillet and set them aside. Wipe out the skillet, leaving some oil in the pan. Then, add garlic and onion, cooking over medium heat until onion begins to soften and garlic is fragrant.
Carefully pour in can of crushed tomatoes and stir in seasonings. Stir to combine and allow the sauce to simmer for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better). If necessary, cover the skillet to avoid splatters.
Once the tomato sauced is cooked, lower the heat and place the meatballs back into the skillet. Allow them to warm through. Then, place a slice of mozzarella cheese on top.
As soon as the mozzarella starts to melt, use a toothpick to create a ghost-like face. Make two holes for eyes and one slightly larger hole for a moaning mouth.
Garnish the cheesy meatball skillet with fresh herbs (like basil, oregano, or parsley), if desired, and serve immediately. Eat the meatballs, as is, or serve with spaghetti or toasted sub rolls to make meatball Parmesan sandwiches.
Cheesy Halloween Ghost Meatball Skillet
Equipment
- 1 10-12 inch cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1 package Carando Abruzzese Italian Style Meatballs
- 2 tbsps. olive oil extra virgin
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small onion chopped
- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 tbsp. Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 8 slices mozzarella cheese cut in half
- Optional: fresh herbs, such as basil, oregano, or parsley chopped
Instructions
- Add olive oil to skillet and heat over medium heat. Place meatballs in pan and brown on each side, cooking evenly, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Lightly wipe out skillet and add garlic and onion to the pan. Cook 3-4 minutes. Then, carefully pour in crushed tomatoes and add seasonings.
- Stir and simmer at least 30 minutes. Then, place meatballs back in skillet.
- Lower heat to warm meatballs. Once warmed through, place slice of cheese on each meatball.
- When cheese starts to melt, use a toothpick to create ghost faces in each slice of cheese.
- Garnish with chopped fresh herbs, if desired, and serve immediately with spaghetti, sub rolls, or right from the skillet.
Notes
Want another fun way to turn meatballs into a spooky dinner dish for Halloween? This Spooky Spaghetti and Meatballs turns the classic dish into creepy eyeballs on a bed of saucy spaghetti. Click here for more terribly tasty Halloween recipes.
Did you make this Cheesy Halloween Ghost Meatball Skillet recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #holokahome. Don’t forget to tag me @holokahome!
