Barbecue Bacon-Cheddar Meatballs

Let's Get Our Game On!  (Even if that "game" is playing Cand Land with my three-year old daughter instead of watching the Superbowl event.)  But anyway, I can still eat and pretend like I'm at a party.  So let's start this week off right with some healthier choice appetizers, snacks and desserts.


Today let me introduce you to these delicious bacon-cheddar meatballs that I adapted from Taste of Home.  I used ground turkey and even snuck some carrots inside.  I cooked them in my slow cooker instead of frying them.  And guess what?  They turned out great!  You have to have meatballs at a sports party, am I right?  Serve these up for your guests and see if they taste a difference or know that a vegetable is hidden inside.  I bet they don't notice but gobble them up instead!





"Better For You" Barbecue Bacon-Cheddar Meatballs

(Makes about 24 meatballs)

Adapted from Taste of Home

1 pound of ground turkey
1 package of onion soup mix
1 cup of reduced fat shredded cheese, 2% cheddar or Mexican variety
1/2 cup of pureed or shredded carrots
1/2 cup of bacon bits
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp reduced fat milk
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
dash of Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup of barbecue sauce, any kind - whatever your favorite is


Set your slow cooker to low heat while preparing the meatballs.  Mix the onion soup mix and beaten egg in a large bowl.  Place your ground turkey, pureed carrots, seasoning, salt and pepper over the liquid.  Blend the ingredients well with a large spoon or your hands.  Shape the meat into round balls.  I made 24 with mine.  Set aside. 





In a separate bowl, combine the flour and milk.  Stir until smooth.  Then add the shredded cheese and bacon bits.  Blend well.  Shape these into smaller round cheese balls.  Then you will place the other meat and carrot ball around the cheese-bacon ball.    Continue doing this until all of your ingredients are used up.


I did one at a time, making one cheese ball and shaping the other part around it.  It looked like this as I was half-way through shaping each meatball:



Mmm, cheese and bacon in the center?  How can that be wrong!?


Place meatballs in slow cooker.  Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.   Don't worry if your meatballs seem to stick together or have that slimy looking stuff between them, like this:




They pull apart easily and they will taste great.  When the tops are nicely browned, you know they are almost ready.  


During the last half hour of slow cooking, add the barbecue sauce.  Just pour it over the tops of the meatballs and spread it out evenly. 



Mmm, mmm good!  Remove the meatballs from the slow cooker and serve.


We had ours open-faced style on homemade bread.  They are great as they are, on a sandwich or even mixed in with leftover spaghetti noodles. 


Three cheers for these meatballs!   Here's another one of my past meatball recipes that you may want to consider as well - sweet and spicy orange meatballs!

Tomorrow I will share another great twist to a traditional, easy appetizer!  After that, I'll tackle snacks and desserts.  Let me know if I score a point with you, the readers!  :-)

Open Faced Sweet and Spicy Meatball Sandwich

I'm on a quest to find the perfect meatball recipe.  I just haven't found quite what I'm looking for yet.  However, when I saw this Sweet and Savory Meatball recipe posted by my friend Anne awhile ago, I decided to give it a try.


I tweaked her recipe quite a bit.  In addition, I didn't bake mine in the oven but used my slow cooker for the entire process.  I loved the end result.  I added barbecue sauce, bread crumbs and salsa (in place of her onions) to give it a different flavor.  I call it my Sweet and Spicy Meatballs.  And when I say the word "spicy" I don't mean hot or peppery - just more flavorful thanks to the salsa and spices that are in it.  The orange marmalade and juice give it a sweet, citris flavor as well.  This one is a nice change from the boring old grape jelly and ketchup meatball recipes that are out there!  I hope you enjoy it.






Open Faced Sweet and Spicy Meatball Sandwich

(Makes 20-24 meatballs)

Adapted from Annie Bakes


For the sauce:
1 jar (12.75 oz) of orange marmalade (find it in the jelly/jam aisle of your grocer)
1/3 cup of orange juice
1/3 cup of barbecue sauce - whatever is your favorite (I used Sweet Vidalia Onion flavor)
2 tbsp of diced jalapeno peppers, with juice






For the meatballs:
1 pound of ground turkey
1 egg beaten
1/3 cup of salsa (I used mild)
1/4 cup of ketchup
1/4 cup of bread crumbs
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
dash of salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning


Plug in your slow cooker.  Set heat to low.  Make the sauce by mixing the orange marmalade, orange juice, barbecue sauce and diced peppers with juices at the bottom of the slow cooker. 

In a large bowl, make your meatballs.  Do this by mixing the ground turkey, egg, salsa, ketchup, bread crumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and seasonings.  The mixture will seem wet and have a reddish color to it.  Form into 1 inch thick balls (I made 22 with mine).  Place the meatballs in the slow cooker, sitting in the sauce as pictured below. 






If you want, you can drizzle some of the orange-barbecue sauce over the meatballs.  I found a handy medicine dropper that was in my bathroom cupboard and transformed it into a handy kitchen tool, just like this:






Cook your meatballs on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours.  Since I didn't start mine until 1 p.m. and I wanted them ready for dinnertime, I cooked mine on high heat for two hours followed by low heat for two hours.  They came out great! 


We served our meatballs open on sandwich bread with cheese.  This was a fork and knife kind of dinner.  My husband and I really liked the flavor and I will definitely make it again.


Let me know in the comments if you have a tried and true meatball recipe worth sharing.  Please share your good ones!