Leftover Meatball Crostini

Leftover Meatball Crostini are the perfect way to repurpose leftover meatballs. It offers all the flavors of a classic meatball dinner, without the spaghetti, served on crispy crostini with marinara sauce. Think of it as an open-faced meatball sub, appetizer-style.

Ingredients

• Small crispy slices of bread
• Meatballs
• Your favorite tomato/pomodoro/pasta sauce
• Parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil

When you have leftover meatballs and sauce, it’s easy to make pasta, but it’s just as easy to toast a few slices of bread. This no-cook leftover recipe turns them into a satisfying, effortless bite.

There are many ways to prepare these crostini. You can toast the bread first, melt the cheese, then top it with meatballs and sauce. Or, you can place them directly on the toasted bread, add the cheese and melt everything in the oven. Grated parmesan or slices of mozzarella work well.

meatball in Italian

In English we only have one word for a meatball, but in Italian it depends on the size and how it is served.

• Polpette is the general term for meatballs.
• Polpettine (singular: polpettina) refers to small bites.
• Polpettone means a large meatball, more like a meatloaf.

So a dish like Meatball Crostini might be called crostini con polpettine in Italy.

Difference bruschetta and crostini

Both are Italian toast starters, but they differ primarily in the type, size, and preparation of the bread. Bruschetta is made from larger slices of rustic bread, usually toasted and rubbed with garlic, then simply topped with ingredients like tomatoes and olive oil.

Crostini, on the other hand, use smaller, thinner slices of bread, often baguette, toasted, baked or grilled until crisp and topped with a wider variety of richer ingredients, such as cheeses or pâtés.

Best Bread to Use

A sliced ​​ciabatta baguette is my favorite for this recipe – it toasts beautifully while remaining sturdy. If not available, a French baguette is a great substitute.

Meatball Recipes

Presentation suggestion

Again, there are many ways to achieve this. I like to cut the meatballs in half, this keeps them from rolling onto the bread when you take a bite. This is a great starter to feed a crowd. You can bake as many slices of bread as your baking sheet allows. If you want to make them even cheesier, top with a slice of mozzarella cheese and bake until melted. Your kids will love them!

If you made these leftover meatball crostini, please leave a star rating on the recipe card. You can also ask a question or leave a comment below.

Janette is a professionally trained chef based in California who channels her passion for cooking into carefully crafted recipes. His culinary creations are inspired by his English heritage as well as his favorite global cuisines, including Indian and Italian. Connect with her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for more delicious inspiration. Learn more about Janette…