These barbecue meatballs are the easiest to make! It takes little effort to get them mixed up and into the oven, but they make for a filling and satisfying meal for the whole family to enjoy.
Okay, here’s an embarrassing confession (for my husband): He is not a fan of meatloaf or bbq meatballs. I know, it’s shocking. Thankfully we have moved past this obstacle in our marriage (and by that I mean I made a bbq meatball recipe that he loves) because I couldn’t imagine a long bbq meatball-less marriage!
I’m being dramatic, but seriously, what kind of life is that? Thankfully my whole family is in agreement about these meatballs – even the kids love them! That certainly makes my life better because this is such an easy meal to make and they can be paired with just about anything. I hope you enjoy them!
The Makings of BBQ Meatballs
We’re going to start with extra lean ground beef in a bowl, of course, and beyond that, you’re going to take the following ingredients and simply mix them in with the ground beef. Don’t over mix or the meatballs will be too tough!Â
- Eggs
- Minced onion
- Salt, chili powder, garlic powder, and ground black pepper
- Quick-cooking oats
- Cream or milk
As for the barbecue sauce, all you’ll need is ketchup, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, and mustard mixed with brown sugar, molasses, salt, ground black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.Â
How Easy are these Meatballs to Make?
Truly so easy. As I mentioned above, to make the meatballs you just need to combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix them up. Don’t overmix because we don’t want them to get too tough. After you shape them into balls and put them in a baking dish, mix up the sauce in a separate bowl and pour it over the meatballs so they’re all well coated.Â
Bake for 50-60 minutes and then dinner’s served!
Substitutions and Serving Suggestions
If you’d rather use ground turkey, that’s fine – the recipe will stay the same.Â
I’d recommend serving these with just about anything. You can eat them with pasta, mashed potatoes, fries, a salad, alongside sheetpan veggies, etc. They’re so delicious and versatile!
You can even skewer them and serve them as an appetizer at a party.
Storage and Meal Prep
If you’re a meal prepper, you can certainly make these and freeze them ahead of time! I’d suggest freezing the meatballs themselves, and then when you’re ready to make them you’ll just have to pour over the sauce and increase the cook time.
Comment below or tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations! Isn’t it fun how something as habitual as cooking can also stretch our creative muscles? As a busy mom, I don’t get as much time to myself to be creative as I’d like, so I’m grateful I get to channel some of that into my meals. Creativity and love are the best secret ingredients!
The Easiest BBQ Meatballs
Ingredients
- MEATBALLS
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 c. minced onion
- 2 pounds extra lean ground beef
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 c. quick-cooking oats
- 1/2 c. cream or milk
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- SAUCE
- 1 1/2 c. ketchup
- 1 c. packed brown sugar
- 1 TBS molasses
- 2 TBS apple cider vinegar
- 1 TBS Worcestershire
- 2 tsp prepared mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a large mixing bowl mix all the meatball ingredients together being careful not to over mix as this will make the meatballs tough.
- Shape into a 2 inch ball and place in a 13x 9 inch baking dish.
- To make the sauce combine the ingredients in a small mixing bowl to combine.
- Pour over the meatballs making sure each meatball is covered with some of the sauce.
- Bake for 50- 60 minutes or until done.
These are so easy to whip up and kids love them!
Thank you!