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    Home » Dinner » Meat and Poultry » Saucy Beef Appetizers

    Saucy Beef Appetizers

    Last updated on September 30, 2020. Originally posted on January 22, 2018 By Elaine 42 Comments

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    Saucy Beef Appetizers for Pinterest

    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

    • Mac and cheese cups
    • Lobster cups
    • Scalloped stuffed mushrooms

    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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    549 shares

    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

      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
    2. 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
    3. 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
    4. 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
    5. 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
    6. 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
    7. 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
    8. 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
    9. 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
    10. 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
    11. 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
    12. 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
    13. 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
    14. 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
    15. 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
    16. 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
    17. 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
    18. 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
    19. 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
    20. 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
    21. 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
    22. 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

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