The more the merrier is a phrase particulary apt at Christmas. Get a party started with these seasonal nibbles and tipples.
Cheeseburger meatballs
MAKES 20 GF
HANDS-ON TIME 15 MINS
TOTAL TIME 35 MINS
Love a burger? Try these super-easy meatball cheeseburger bites, made with ready-made mini meatballs, coated in melting cheese and served with a tomato dipping sauce.
350g pack 20 mini beef meatballs*
200g tomato and basil passata
½ tsp sugar
5 American-style cheesy slices, cut into quarters
10 cocktail gherkins
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Place the mini beef meatballs on a baking tray and bake for 16-18 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, pour the passata into a small pan. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in the sugar and season to taste.
3 Top each meatball with a square of cheese and return to the oven for 2 minutes until melted. Slice the gherkins in half lengthways, place a half on each cheese-topped meatball and secure with cocktail sticks.
4 Put the meatball cheeseburgers on a platter and transfer the sauce to a small bowl for dipping. *Check your meatballs are gluten-free, if required.
■ 53cals; 3g fat (2g sat fat); 5g protein; 0g fibre; 1g carbs; 0g total sugars; 0.4g salt
Baked cheesy chilli dip
SERVES 8-10 GF
HANDS-ON TIME 15 MINS
TOTAL TIME 50 MINS
Dip right into this oozing Mexican-style baked dip spiked with jalapeño chillies – it’s just the thing to serve at winter parties.
200g full-fat soft cheese
1 x 150ml pot soured cream
75g full-fat mayonnaise
175g mature cheddar, coarsely grated
100g grated mozzarella
50g Parmesan, finely grated
1½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp chopped chives
15-20g pickled jalapeño chillies, finely chopped
To serve
crudités tortilla chips poppy seed twists, or similar dippers
1 Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5. Mix all the dip ingredients and spread out in a shallow 20cm diameter baking dish – the dip should be no more than 1cm deep.
2 Bake for 20-25 minutes until melted, and golden brown on top. Don’t overheat it, or it may curdle.
3 Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Serve with dippers of your choice such as poppy seed twists, tortilla chips and crudités.
■ 310cals; 28g fat (14g sat fat); 12g protein; 0g fibre; 2g carbs; 2g total sugars; 1g salt
Cranberry Brie bites
MAKES 20 V
HANDS-ON TIME 20 M
