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Saucy Beef Appetizers

Name: Saucy Beef Appetizers
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 13 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/2 pound grass-fed ground beef; 1/2 teaspoon cumin; 1/2 teaspoon oregano; 1/8 teaspoon salt; dash of pepper; 1/2 jar RAGÚ Old World Style Traditional® sauce; mini pearl mozzarella balls; 15 frozen phyllo cups

Last updated on September 30, 2020. Originally posted on January 22, 2018 By Elaine 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: 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

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Comments

Beth

January 22, 2018 at 11:03 am

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

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 22, 2018 at 11:28 am
  
  Thanks so much Beth!!
  
  Reply
Molly Kumar

January 22, 2018 at 1:17 pm

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
  
  January 22, 2018 at 1:58 pm
  
  Thanks Molly! They are so delicious!!
  
  Reply
Leslie

January 22, 2018 at 1:54 pm

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
  
  January 22, 2018 at 1:58 pm
  
  Thanks Leslie! They really do!
  
  Reply
Tara

January 22, 2018 at 2:00 pm

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

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 22, 2018 at 3:05 pm
  
  Thanks Tara!! You should try this, it’s so good!
  
  Reply
Patty K-P

January 22, 2018 at 2:04 pm

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

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 22, 2018 at 2:25 pm
  
  Patty, I do know! Delicious! Totally different but so good!
  
  Reply
Patty

January 22, 2018 at 4:04 pm

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

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 24, 2018 at 10:37 am
  
  Thanks so much Patty! It is so delicious! Christopher ate the majority. I need to make them again this weekend.
  
  Reply
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy

January 22, 2018 at 5:56 pm

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

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 24, 2018 at 10:38 am
  
  Thanks Gloria! My hubby agrees with you. He made a meal of them!
  
  Reply
Andrea The Petite Cook

January 23, 2018 at 4:30 am

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

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 23, 2018 at 7:18 am
  
  Thanks Andrea! It really is!
  
  Reply
Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen

January 23, 2018 at 8:49 am

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
  
  January 24, 2018 at 10:38 am
  
  Thanks so much Ashley!
  
  Reply
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices

January 24, 2018 at 1:56 am

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
  
  January 24, 2018 at 10:39 am
  
  Thanks Nicoletta! I wonder how it would be with tofu! Hmmm. I bet delish!
  
  Reply
Tamara Andersen

January 24, 2018 at 5:04 pm

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
  
  January 24, 2018 at 5:39 pm
  
  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
Anne Murphy

January 25, 2018 at 12:09 pm

Those are so cute!

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

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 25, 2018 at 7:36 pm
  
  Thanks Anne!!
  
  Reply
Analida @ ethnicspoon.com

January 26, 2018 at 9:04 am

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
  
  January 26, 2018 at 10:05 am
  
  Thanks Analida. Trust me, there won’t be any leftovers 🙂
  
  Reply
Laura

January 27, 2018 at 8:54 am

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
  
  January 27, 2018 at 9:09 am
  
  Thanks so much Laura!! Or should I say, grazie mille!? 😉
  
  Reply
Catherine Brown

January 27, 2018 at 9:34 am

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

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 27, 2018 at 9:36 am
  
  Hehe Catherine! Indeed! People here in Boston are going cray-cray for the Patriots to win!!
  
  Reply
Jacklyn

January 27, 2018 at 10:00 am

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
  
  January 27, 2018 at 10:05 am
  
  Thanks so much Jacklyn! They are super easy and delicious!
  
  Reply
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way

January 28, 2018 at 7:32 am

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
  
  January 29, 2018 at 10:04 am
  
  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
Leslie Haasch

January 28, 2018 at 11:01 am

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
  
  January 29, 2018 at 10:05 am
  
  Hehe Leslie!!
  
  Reply
Amanda Mason

January 28, 2018 at 3:33 pm

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
  
  January 29, 2018 at 10:05 am
  
  Thanks Amanda!! I appreciate your comment!
  
  Reply
Sara

January 29, 2018 at 9:48 pm

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

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 30, 2018 at 8:45 am
  
  Thanks Sara!!
  
  Reply
Sharon

March 02, 2018 at 9:22 pm

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
Christopher

April 15, 2018 at 3:39 pm

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

Saucy Beef Appetizers