Meatball Creepy Crawlers Food

HALLOWEEN MONSTER MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400° and have ready two rimmed baking sheets lined with aluminum foil and a crockpot on the warm setting.
• Add olive oil to a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, sauté bell pepper and onion about 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Add the parsley and remove the pan from the heat.
• Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to a large mixing bowl and set the pan aside.
• In the large bowl, add bread crumbs and milk, and stir to combine. Stir in the egg. Then, add in ground beef, chopped olives, orange zest, 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, pepper, and cloves. Using your hands, mix until all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
• Roll about 2 tablespoons worth of the beef mixture into a ball and place them at least 1" apart on the baking sheets. Create a fairly deep well in the center of the meatball using your finger. Place an olive slice within the well of each meatball. Bake for 25 minutes.
• While the meatballs are baking, finish the sauce. Return the saucepan to the stovetop over medium heat and add pepper jelly, juice of an orange, tomato paste, vinegar, soy sauce, and a 1/4 teaspoon of Kosher salt. Stir until the jelly has melted.
• Once meatballs are cool enough to handle, transfer them to a serving dish, and pour over the jelly mixture. Serve and enjoy!

MEATBALL-STUFFED PASTA BRAIN

Steps:

• Arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
• Warm the marinara and meatballs in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, about 10 minutes. Remove 1 cup of the sauce and reserve.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the udon noodles according to package instructions; drain.
• Roll a 24-inch piece of foil into a prism shape. Crumble and flatten 2 more 24-inch pieces of foil into an 8-by-4-inch oval shape. Place the prism in the center of a 10-cup heatproof bowl and bend the ends so that the foil is pressed against the bowl and divides the bowl in half (this will make the 2 hemispheres of a brain). Place the 2 foil ovals on either side of the prism. Cover all 3 with an 18-inch piece of foil, pressing it into the foil barrier shapes. This is the brain mold. Generously spray the mold with nonstick spray.
• Whisk the mozzarella, eggs, reserved sauce and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan in a large bowl until combined. Add the noodles to the egg mixture and toss until evenly coated. Transfer half of the noodles to the mold, pressing gently to create a well in the center of the noodles. Cover the well with half of the prosciutto (do to not let it touch the foil or it will stick). Fill the well with the meatballs (leaving remaining sauce behind) and then top with the remaining prosciutto, forming gently to create a pocket of meatballs in the center of the brain. Top with the remaining noodles and arrange so that they fill in all the gaps, surround the meat and are pressed firmly against the walls of the mold. Toss the breadcrumbs with the oil and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan in a small bowl, then evenly sprinkle over the noodles, pressing them down into the noodles to adhere.
• Bake until the breadcrumbs are a deep golden brown and the noodles have completely set, 30 to 40 minutes. Let sit in the mold for 30 minutes before removing. Invert onto a cutting board and pour the remaining sauce down the center channel of the brain.

ZOMBIE EYES (HALLOWEEN MEATBALLS)

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Whisk Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, egg, garlic, parley, basil, and oregano together in a large mixing bowl. Fold in ground beef and mix with your hands until blended. Form 16 equal-sized meatballs using a cookie scoop.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown meatballs for 3 minutes on each side. Transfer cooked meatballs to a baking sheet using tongs.
• Bake browned meatballs in the oven for 8 minutes.
• While meatballs bake, use a plastic straw to punch a hole through each olive half to create a circular 'pupil.' Use the same straw to punch a hole through the center of each string cheese slice. Insert the round olive piece inside the hole in the string cheese slice to create 'eyes.'
• Remove meatballs from oven and let cool until safe to handle.
• Assemble zombie eyes by twirling a few strands of cooked spaghetti around each of 16 forks. Spear a meatball onto each fork and arrange forks on a serving platter. Spoon a dot of spaghetti sauce onto each meatball where you want to place the 'eyes.' Apply the olive-cheese 'eye' over the sauce. Spoon remaining spaghetti sauce over the twirled spaghetti on the forks.