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Saucy Beef Appetizers

Last updated on . Originally posted on By 42 Comments

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This recipe for the saucy beef appetizers is so easy that you’ll have your hungry hordes munching away in no time. Saucy beef is nestled in phyllo cups and topped with mini mozzarella cheese pearls, making these the perfect game day appetizer.

A green plate of the beef and cheese appetizer in front of the jar of sauce

This post is sponsored and this shop has been compensated by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of RAGÚ®.  All opinions expressed here are mine alone!  #RAGÚPartyPleasers #sponsored #ad

Whenever I’m trying to get ready for a game day gathering, I know that I want quick and easy appetizers. But I don’t want to serve just boring chips and dip, or chips and salsa! No, I want the appetizers to stand out as so delicious that others will clamor for my recipe.

I’m funny like that.  You might say, competitive!  I want to serve The Best Appetizers.

That’s where RAGÚ® comes in. I decided to make two different game day recipes, utilizing the brand’s delicious sauces. This recipe features the RAGÚ® Old World Style Traditional spaghetti sauce. It’s my go-to sauce when I need fast, easy AND delicious.  I trust the RAGÚ brand to always be vibrant in flavor, scrumptious and steeped in tradition.

So, without further ado, let me show you how easy it is to use RAGÚ in your next appetizer-frenzied game day extravaganza. To find more recipes using this lovely sauce, go to their website..

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a small commission, at no additional cost to you, if you click the link and buy something. You can read my disclosure here.

How to make this appetizer

Pre-step

I wanted to showcase two of RAGÚ sauces.  Like I said, I’m using the red sauce in this recipe.

I will feature the cheddar sauce in a special post all its own here.

Cheddar sauce with tomato sauce in front with pasta and ground beef in the background

Step one

Get a sauté pan, jelly roll pan and gather the ingredients – sauce, ground beef and pearl mozzarella.

Ground beef, jar of red sauce and mozzarella pearls along with a sauté pan in the background

Step two

Heat a sauté pan or cast iron pan on medium and add olive oil.

Once that heats up, add the beef and use a spatula to break it up.

Step three

Add cumin, oregano and salt. Mix and sauté for 5 minutes.

Cooked ground beef in a sauté pan with a jar of red sauce in the background

Step four

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and pour around half the jar of RAGÚ sauce on the beef.

The red sauce mixed in with the pan of ground beef

Step five

Take the phyllo cups out of the freezer and place them on a small jelly roll pan. With a teaspoon, spoon some of the saucy beef in each cup. You can definitely heap it.

I use a ½ pound of beef, so you are bound to have extra.

A pan of little phyllo cups filled with red sauce and beef with the jar of sauce and pearl mozzarella in the background

Step six

Add a mini pearl mozzarella ball and place one on each phyllo cup.

Pearl mozzarella placed on the beef appetizer with the jar of sauce in the background

Step seven

Bake for 7 – 8 minutes.

I plate them and can’t help myself, so I pick one up.

A female hand picking up one of the saucy phyllo cup appetizers. The plate of the appetizer is beneath the hand

And take a bite.

The female hand holding a phyllo do with a bite taken out of it over the plate of the appetizer

Yum.

You will love the combination of sauce, beef, mozzarella, and phyllo dough that make these cups such a treat to eat! They are sure to be a big hit at your next game day party.

I hope you enjoyed this saucy beef appetizers recipe!

Other popular appetizer recipes

And as always, may all your dishes be delish!

If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog, I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below.  I love hearing from you!  You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST  to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!

A green plate of the beef and cheese appetizer in front of the jar of sauce - square

Saucy Beef Appetizers

What makes these saucy beef appetizer cups so easy is the smooth, flavorful RAGÚ Old World Style Traditional® spaghetti sauce!
5 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizers
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: beef appetizers, saucy beef appetizer
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes
Servings: 15 pieces
Calories: 54kcal
Author: Elaine Benoit

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ pound grass-fed ground beef
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon oregano
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • dash of pepper
  • ½ jar RAGÚ Old World Style Traditional® sauce
  • mini pearl mozzarella balls
  • 15 frozen phyllo cups

Instructions

Make It!

  • Heat sauté pan on medium heat
  • Add olive oil
  • Add beef, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and chop up beef into little pieces
  • Add RAGÚ sauce and mix until combined
  • Preheat oven to 350 F
  • Spoon small amount of saucy beef in phyllo cups – you can heap it as it won’t spill out
  • Add a mini pearl to each saucy beef cup, I press mine down a little
  • Bake for 7 minutes
  • Plate
  • Eat
  • Enjoy

Equipment

sauté pan
jelly roll pan
See all my favorite tools and gift ideas at my Amazon Store page!Check out Elaine’s Amazon Store!

Notes

If you are having a bunch of people over to watch the game, double this recipe!

Nutrition

Serving: 3pieces | Calories: 54kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 37mg | Potassium: 44mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.4mg
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This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a small commission, at no additional cost to you,  if you click the link and buy. You can read my disclosure here.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Beth

    They started Ragu in Rochester, NY, where I am from! These little delights look delicious! I love easy appetizers!

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Thanks so much Beth!!

      Reply

  2. Molly Kumar

    These saucy appetizer cups look so cute and absolutely delicious!!! I love making 1 bite snack for gamedays as they are so easy to move around with. Also loving the combination of Ragu with Double Cheddar sauce 🙂

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Thanks Molly! They are so delicious!!

      Reply

  3. Leslie

    Using the jarred sauces make these so fast to prepare. It’s a good thing! I’m sure these just fly off the tray at any get together.

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Thanks Leslie! They really do!

      Reply

  4. Tara

    How cute! Such a great use of Ragú. I love the little pearls of mozzarella over the tops.

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Thanks Tara!! You should try this, it’s so good!

      Reply

  5. Patty K-P

    I bet these are addicting! Any idea how they taste with the cheese sauce instead?

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Patty, I do know! Delicious! Totally different but so good!

      Reply

  6. Patty

    Delicious! These look so good I would love to pop a few! I need a jar of this Ragù sauce ????????

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Thanks so much Patty! It is so delicious! Christopher ate the majority. I need to make them again this weekend.

      Reply

  7. Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy

    I would easily make a meal out of these cute and delicious little tasty gems. Perfect for parties….and just because.

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Thanks Gloria! My hubby agrees with you. He made a meal of them!

      Reply

  8. Andrea The Petite Cook

    This is perfect party food! And it’s so easy to make!

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Thanks Andrea! It really is!

      Reply

  9. Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen

    These look like such perfect party food bites! I grew up eating RAGÚ but in a much less elegant way than this. What a fun recipe!

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Thanks so much Ashley!

      Reply

  10. Nicoletta @sugarlovespices

    They look so pretty as well as delicious. I don’t eat meat, but I can still recognize a flavorful tasty appetizer when I see one. These are perfect little bites!

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Thanks Nicoletta! I wonder how it would be with tofu! Hmmm. I bet delish!

      Reply

  11. Tamara Andersen

    You’ve got some great time savers for your Mini Saucy Beef Appetizer Cups! I’ve often used phyllo, but have never used the cups. They come like that? They look so pretty, and I’m sure they’d be a hit at any game day party!

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Tamara! Yes the phyllo cups come like that. So easy to use. You can even fill them with a dessert type thing and eat them within seconds of filling them.

      Reply

  12. Anne Murphy

    Those are so cute!

    And I love keeping the phyllo cups frozen until the last minute so they don’t go soggy…

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Thanks Anne!!

      Reply

  13. Analida @ ethnicspoon.com

    Those beefy saucy cups look amazing! I love those easy go-to appetizers too! If you have leftovers just toss it on some pasta or rice the next day!

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Thanks Analida. Trust me, there won’t be any leftovers 🙂

      Reply

  14. Laura

    I am sure that Assunta and Giovanni loved the abbondanza, those appetizers look delicious and beside game day I am making them when my sons have friends over. The Ragu sauce looks amazing

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Thanks so much Laura!! Or should I say, grazie mille!? 😉

      Reply

  15. Catherine Brown

    With the Super Bowl just around the corner, this looks like the perfect quick appetizer! Go Pats!

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Hehe Catherine! Indeed! People here in Boston are going cray-cray for the Patriots to win!!

      Reply

  16. Jacklyn

    I’m always looking for new appetizers that will impress a crowd but don’t have me working in the kitchen the whole time. These are absolutely perfect!!

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Thanks so much Jacklyn! They are super easy and delicious!

      Reply

  17. Marisa Franca @ All Our Way

    How cute!! I bet they don’t last once you put them out!! What a great appetizer for Super Bowl Sunday or for any gathering for that matter. I always like the idea of a little help like a prepared sauce.

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Thanks Marisa! You are right. It’s perfect for any gathering. They are so good, hubby fights me for them. PS. I let him win because he lets me win on other things!

      Reply

  18. Leslie Haasch

    These are so cute and easy to make! I’m going to add these to my (way too long already, but who cares because YUM) list of Super Bowl party apps!

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Hehe Leslie!!

      Reply

  19. Amanda Mason

    These look so amazing!! I love that you went the non-traditional route with these!!! I love a new appetizer at parties/super bowl games!!

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Thanks Amanda!! I appreciate your comment!

      Reply

  20. Sara

    This looks so good! I can’t wait to try your recipe!

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Thanks Sara!!

      Reply

  21. Sharon

    Is it wrong that I feel like when I make these I might eat them all myself! These look so good I can’t wait to make them.

    Reply

  22. Christopher

    So, it turns out I could probably eat Phyllo cups all day. But the spicy beef and the red gravy are SPECTACULAR together. Want. Apps. For. Dinner.

    Reply

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