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Scrumptious Eyeball Poppers: Easy Halloween Dinner

October 13, 2014 by Tina Verrelli Leave a Comment
Modified August 16, 2020 at 9:31 pm

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A FUN AND EASY HALLOWEEN DINNER IDEA!

Boo!  I’ve been on a Halloween meatball kick!  Meatballs are easy, delicious and make great eyeballs!  My kids have come to expect some kind of a fun dinner before trick-or-treating and these have been some of our favorites.  The Crescent Meatball Ghost Pops and the Creepy Crescent Peepers are made with traditional meatballs, you can make your own or just thaw out some frozen ones.  I serve them with warm marinara sauce for dipping.  The Scrumptious Eyeball Poppers are taco seasoned meatballs that are baked right in a cheesy cornbread mini-muffin.  I pair these with a creamy salsa dip.  They are fun to serve on a Halloween coloring page where you can place the poppers where the eyeballs should be.  You can just search “owl” or “ghost” “coloring page” to find one to print.

HERE ARE A FEW MORE FUN HALLOWEEN IDEAS:

Creepy Crescent Peepers

Crescent Meatball Ghost Pops

Cookies & Cream Cheese Truffle Pops

Crispy Witches Fingers

Scrumptious Eyeball Poppers: Easy Halloween Dinner

AKA: Taco Meatball Topped Cheesy Corn Mini-Muffins with Creamy Salsa
Tina Verrelli - epicuricloud.com
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 24 poppers

Ingredients

  • Nonstick Cooking Spray
  • 1/2 pound ground beef 90/10*
  • 3/4 cup salsa divided
  • 3 tablespoons taco seasoning divided
  • 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
  • 3 tablespoons + 1/2 cup milk divided
  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk divided
  • 12 Spanish queen olives with pimento cut in half horizontally
  • 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup Finely shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 cup sour cream

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray 2 mini-muffin tins (total 24 muffin cups) with non-stick cooking spray.
  • In large bowl combine: ground beef, ¼ cup salsa, 2 tablespoons taco seasoning, breadcrumbs, 3 tablespoons milk and 1 egg.
  • Mix until combined and form into 2 teaspoon measured meatballs. Press an olive half; cut side up into the meatball until level with the meatball.
  • In medium bowl combine: cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. Stir cheese into dry mixture. In small bowl, whisk ½ cup remaining milk, egg yolk and oil. Add to dry mixture and stir until just combined.
  • Scoop 1 tablespoon portions of corn muffin batter into each of the 24 prepared mini-muffin cups. Place a meatball, olive side up in each cup. Bake for 15 minutes or until muffin is cooked and meatball reaches 160 degrees F (using a food thermometer.)
  • In medium bowl combine and stir together: sour cream, remaining ½ cup salsa and 1 tablespoon taco seasoning. Cover and refrigerate until eyeball poppers are done.
  • When eyeball poppers are done, remove from oven and let rest for 2 minutes. Remove from muffin tins and serve with creamy salsa. Serve and enjoy!! They’re Spook-i-licious!!

Notes

*Using a higher fat ratio ground beef may cause the meatballs to give off more juices when baking and could effect texture and/or cook time. You could precook the meatballs for about 7 minutes and then proceed with the recipe.
Tried this recipe?Share it! Tag @epicuricloud - Please Leave A Comment & Rating Below! TY!

Filed Under: Beef, Dinner / Lunch, Halloween, Holiday Recipes

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