Saucy Beef Appetizer
This recipe for the saucy beef appetizer 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.
I WANT QUICK AND EASY APPETIZERS whenever I’m trying to prepare for a game day gathering. But I don’t want to serve boring chips, dip, or salsa! I want stand-out appetizers so delicious my guests will clamor for my recipe.
I’m funny like that. You might say, competitive!
The flavor of this beef party appetizer recipe is outstanding, and the preparation is so quick and easy that it can be on your table in less than 17 minutes.
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I also wanted to showcase this RAGÚ sauce as it has a wonderful taste and goes perfectly in this dish.
Helpful
Tips
- Even though I use cumin and oregano when I’m sautéing the meat, you can use different herbs. Some good choices are parsley, tarragon, and basil. I would still use ground cumin, regardless.
- I’ve made this appetizer with diced onions as well. If you do, it will take about 7 minutes more while you cook the onion in the pan on high heat.
- You can also season it differently to suit your needs. Here are two suggestions: add black pepper and or minced garlic.
How to make this beef appetizer
Pre-step
Get out a large sauté pan or cast iron skillet. Also, get a jelly roll pan or baking sheet.
Step one
Gather the ingredients – ground beef, red sauce, frozen phyllo cups, cumin, oregano, salt, and pearl mozzarella.
Step two
Heat the sauté pan on medium heat, and once that heats up, add olive oil.
Once that heats (shimmers), add the beef and use a metal spatula to break it up.
Step three
Add cumin, oregano, and salt. Mix and sauté for around 5 minutes. You want the beef to be still pink and not fully cooked.
Step four
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and pour around half the jar of RAGÚ sauce on the beef.
Step five
Take the phyllo cups from 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 heap it.
(I use a 1/2 pound of beef, so you will have extra unless you buy a few boxes of the phyllo cups.)
Step six
Take a mini pearl mozzarella ball and place one on each phyllo cup.
Step seven
Bake for 7 – 8 minutes. You want the cheese to be melted and the phyllo cups lightly browned.
I plate them and can’t help myself, so I pick one up.
And take a bite.
Yum.
You will love the sauce, beef, mozzarella, and phyllo dough combination. It makes these beef cups such a treat to eat! They will surely be a big hit at your next game-day party.
I hope you enjoyed this saucy beef appetizer 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!
Saucy Beef Appetizers
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 ground pepper
- 1/2 jar RAGÚ Old World Style Traditional® sauce (or any pasta sauce)
- 15 mini pearl mozzarella balls
- 15 frozen phyllo cups
Instructions
Make It!
- Heat sauté pan on medium heat. Once that heats up, add olive oil.1 tablespoon olive oil
- Add ground beef, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Chop up the beef into little pieces.1/2 pound grass-fed ground beef, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1/8 teaspoon salt, dash of ground pepper
- Add pasta sauce and mix until combined.1/2 jar RAGÚ Old World Style Traditional® sauce
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Spoon small amounts of saucy beef in the phyllo cups – you can heap it so it won't spill out.15 frozen phyllo cups
- Add a mini pearl to each beef cup, I press mine down a little.15 mini pearl mozzarella balls
- Bake for 7 minutes. You want the cheese to be melted and the phyllo cups lightly browned.
- Plate
- Eat
- Enjoy
Equipment
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Nutrition
From lighting up stages with her BA in theater to crafting delightful dishes and cocktails, Elaine Benoit's journey is a testament to passion's transformative power. As the CEO of Dishes Delish, she offers a blend of healthy, comforting recipes and exquisitely crafted cocktails. Beyond the kitchen, Elaine voiced her culinary adventures on her podcast, "Dishing," and co-owns Food Blogger Help, extending her expertise to guide budding food bloggers to success. Whether it's for a heartwarming dish or insights into food blogging, Elaine's diverse experiences make her a beacon in the culinary digital landscape.
They started Ragu in Rochester, NY, where I am from! These little delights look delicious! I love easy appetizers!
Thanks so much Beth!!
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 🙂
Thanks Molly! They are so delicious!!
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.
Thanks Leslie! They really do!
How cute! Such a great use of Ragú. I love the little pearls of mozzarella over the tops.
Thanks Tara!! You should try this, it’s so good!
I bet these are addicting! Any idea how they taste with the cheese sauce instead?
Patty, I do know! Delicious! Totally different but so good!
Delicious! These look so good I would love to pop a few! I need a jar of this Ragù sauce ????????
Thanks so much Patty! It is so delicious! Christopher ate the majority. I need to make them again this weekend.
I would easily make a meal out of these cute and delicious little tasty gems. Perfect for parties….and just because.
Thanks Gloria! My hubby agrees with you. He made a meal of them!
This is perfect party food! And it’s so easy to make!
Thanks Andrea! It really is!
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!
Thanks so much Ashley!
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!
Thanks Nicoletta! I wonder how it would be with tofu! Hmmm. I bet delish!
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!
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.
Those are so cute!
And I love keeping the phyllo cups frozen until the last minute so they don’t go soggy…
Thanks Anne!!
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!
Thanks Analida. Trust me, there won’t be any leftovers 🙂
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
Thanks so much Laura!! Or should I say, grazie mille!? 😉
With the Super Bowl just around the corner, this looks like the perfect quick appetizer! Go Pats!
Hehe Catherine! Indeed! People here in Boston are going cray-cray for the Patriots to win!!
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!!
Thanks so much Jacklyn! They are super easy and delicious!
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.
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!
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!
Hehe Leslie!!
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!!
Thanks Amanda!! I appreciate your comment!
This looks so good! I can’t wait to try your recipe!
Thanks Sara!!
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.
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.