Meatloaf Meatballs
Meatloaf seems to be one of those meals that is loved or hated. At least, that’s the case in my home. I love it, the rest of the family not a bit. I’ve pretty much been banned from cooking it. Ha. So, when I have an opportunity to make it and take it to a baby shower or party, I take the opportunity. Who knows when another one will come along?
I had heard of people making individual meatloaves in muffin tins – eat some now, freeze or save for later. But I wanted to make this into a more “party finger-food,” so what better than meatballs? Bite-size pieces of delicious (so says me) meatballs made with ground beef and pork and a saucy glaze makes meatloaf redefined.
I do not use bread crumbs in this recipe. The eggs do the binding for me. I do add an infused extra-virgin olive oil to ensure moisture and it imparts some extra flavor and aroma that I really enjoy. I use a garlic-infused extra-virgin olive oil from Abingdon Olive Oil Co. They’re a great business with great products. I’ve never been disappointed.
Tip… using a cookie scoop (or #30 disher with the black handle is a good size) and makes shaping easier and more uniform for all the meatballs.
I bake my meatballs, but you can fry yours if you’d like. I like the convenience of the oven doing the work for me so my hands are free to do other things. Baking them on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet makes cleanup a piece of cake. No splatters on my stovetop either. Enjoy!
Meatloaf Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground beef, (80/20 works well)
- 1 pound ground pork, (not seasoned breakfast sausage)
- 1/3 cup onion, grated
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon roasted garlic powder, see Notes
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or white pepper
- 3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped, for sprinkling before serving
Glaze:
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, (not "with Mother")
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons golden mustard, like Gulden's
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with a piece of foil that is large enough to cover and wrap around the edges. This makes cleanup much easier. If you do not have a large baking sheet, you can cook the meatballs in a 9x13" baking pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all the meatball ingredients and combine gently, but thoroughly.
- Shape the meat mixture into 1 ¼” to 1 ½” diameter meatballs. If you shape them into larger meatballs, you may have to adjust your cooking times. A cookie scoop/disher works wonderfully for this step.
- Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet as you form them, spacing about 1/2” apart.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Depending on your oven’s heating and size of your meatballs, you may need up to 35 minutes. Check the internal temperature with a probe thermometer at 25 minutes. You are looking for an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- While the meatballs are baking, make the glaze. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add all the glaze ingredients, mixing well, and allow the glaze to cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring to dissolve the sugar. (It should begin to smell absolutely amazing.)
- Taste and adjust any ingredients of the glaze to your preferred taste.
- When the meatballs have finished cooking, carefully remove them from the pan and place them in a serving bowl and pour the glaze over them and gently toss to coat.
- Alternatively, you can place the meatballs and glaze in a slow cooker on low or warm (for a shorter amount of time) if wanting to keep warm for serving later.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve the meatballs warm.
Notes
0 Comments