Cheesy Meatball Open Toast Recipe

With smoked paprika, basil and lashings of grated parmesan cheese

by Justina Sullivan
Cheesy Meatball Open Toast served on a speckled ceramic plate. The dish features crusty sourdough toast topped with a creamy cheese sauce, juicy Italian-style meatballs in tomato sauce, fresh basil and a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese. A glass of cold beer sits beside the plate, completing the perfect comfort food pairing.
This recipe was updated in February 2025

Table of Contents

Cheesy Succulent Meatballs on Crusty Buttered Toast

Meatballs over spaghetti with lots of grated cheese is one of those comforting dishes that everyone loves, especially when served with a side of buttery garlic bread to soak up the sauce. The inspiration for this Italian-American Inspired Cheesy Meatball Open Toast Recipe evokes the taste and feel of this classic comfort food.

Close-up of a cheesy meatball open toast served on a speckled ceramic plate. The dish features crusty sourdough bread topped with gooey, melted cheese sauce dusted with smoked paprika, fresh basil leaves, and juicy Italian-style meatballs coated in rich tomato sauce.

How to make the 10-minute meatballs

A clever seasoning of onion and garlic powder, tomato paste and soy sauce adds instant umami flavour to minced meat. It also cuts down on preparation time. Using a small ice cream scoop to quickly shape the meatballs into uniform sizes also speeds up the process. The meatballs are then simply roasted at 220°C for 10 minutes until nice and juicy.

10 minute oven roasted meatballs

Easy Oven-Roasted Meatballs – Roasting vs Frying

Oven-roasted meatballs couldn’t be simpler, mix all the ingredients, form balls, transfer to a paper-lined baking tray and roast for 10 minutes. This method not only makes them lighter and juicier, but it’s also a healthier cooking method with less oil compared to frying. Forget pan frying in batches with hot oil spluttering all over the place, the big advantage of oven roasting is you can cook all the meatballs at evenly at once.

Toast topped with melted fondue cheese sauce and a glass of beer
Fondue on toast with a sprinkling of smoked paprika
Cheesy Toast with basil

Quick, Easy and Tasty Tomato Sauce Made with Passata

Creating a tomato sauce with lots of flavour in a short time is very easy with passata. Made from ripe, blended Italian tomatoes, passata is a smooth jarred tomato sauce that is ready to use. Simply heat it with a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon. Within minutes, you’ll have a vibrant, tangy sauce that perfectly coats your juicy meatballs, bringing the dish together without losing quality or flavour.

Close-up of a cheesy meatball open toast served on a speckled ceramic plate. The dish features crusty sourdough bread topped with gooey, melted cheese sauce dusted with smoked paprika, fresh basil leaves, and juicy Italian-style meatballs coated in rich tomato sauce.

The Best Way to Enjoy this Cheesy Meatball Open Toast Recipe

A good base for the cheese and meatballs is a nice crusty white bread such as sourdough. Spread butter over the toasted bread and rub with garlic, then top with cheese sauce, a sprinkling of smoked paprika, and basil leaves, followed by meatballs and lots of grated Parmesan cheese. A super satisfying lunch or dinner, best served with a glass of fresh cold beer or your favourite wine.

Cheesy Meatball Open Toast served on a speckled ceramic plate. The dish features crusty sourdough toast topped with a creamy cheese sauce, juicy Italian-style meatballs in tomato sauce, fresh basil and a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese. A glass of cold beer sits beside the plate, completing the perfect comfort food pairing.

Similar Recipes on flaevor.com

Recipe: Fondue Meatball Sando

Cheesy Meatball Open Toast served on a speckled ceramic plate. The dish features crusty sourdough toast topped with a creamy cheese sauce, juicy Italian-style meatballs in tomato sauce, fresh basil and a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese. A glass of cold beer sits beside the plate, completing the perfect comfort food pairing.
Print Recipe

Cheesy Meatball Open Toast Recipe

Mouthwatering Italian-American inspired open toast topped with cheese sauce, basil, juicy meatballs in tomato sauce and lashings of grated parmesan cheese.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Servings: 6 slices of toast

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 500g pork or beef mince
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • Salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 60g panko bread crumbs
  • Black pepper
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes

Tomato Sauce

  • 400ml tomato passata
  • Large pinch of salt
  • Squeeze of lemon

Cheese Sauce

  • 1 clove of garlic halved
  • 350g grated mozzarella cheese
  • 50g grated Parmesan
  • 150ml milk
  • 1.5 tsp lemon juice
  • Smoked paprika for garnish

Toast & Garnish

  • 6 slices crusty white bread
  • butter
  • 1 large garlic clove
  • 12 medium-large basil leaves
  • Parmesan cheese for grating

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 220°C
  • Prepare the meatballs: Combine all meatball ingredients. Fry a small amount of the mixture in a pan to test if the seasoning is right. If not add more salt and pepper as needed.
  • Using a small ice cream scoop or leveled spoon, form 24 small meatballs.
  • Line a roasting tray with baking paper and lay meatballs out evenly onto the tray. Transfer to oven and roast for 10 minutes.
  • For the tomato sauce: Combine passata, salt and lemon in a small pan and heat. Add cooked meatballs and cover each ball in tomato sauce. Keep warm until ready to use.
  • Make the Cheese Sauce:
    Split the garlic open and use it to rub inside a small saucepan. Pour in the milk and bring to a high heat, but do not boil. Slowly incorporate the grated cheese, whisking constantly until smooth. Add the lemon juice then taste then season with salt and pepper.
  • To finish: Toast bread. Spread each slice with butter and rub with garlic clove.
  • Divide fondue sauce on each slice of toast. Sprinklewith smoked paprika. Place 2 basil leaves over the cheese. Top with 4 meatballsand tomato sauce and garnish with grated parmesan cheese.

Notes

 

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