Cheesy Bacon Wrapped Meatballs
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These Bacon Wrapped Meatballs have two secret ingredients that make them THE BEST meatballs ever, lots of Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese and ranch seasoning!
Whether you’re looking for the perfect low carb recipe or a great game day snack, these easy oven baked meatballs are guaranteed to be a hit!
Today’s post is sponsored by my friends at Cabot.
Meatballs + Bacon + Cheese = yes, please!
If you thought meatballs couldn’t get any better, you’ve never had meatballs filled with Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, then wrapped in bacon! This meatball recipe can be served as an easy appetizer for a party or as a main course with Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower for a low carb meal.
You can easily prep them ahead of time, then bake them whenever. I like to do this if I’m making them to eat throughout the week. This way I can just pop 8 in the oven for dinner and they’re hot and fresh out of the oven every time I make them!
Crispy bacon, wrapped around flavorful meatballs, filled with creamy Cabot cheese, who’s in?!
Table of contents
Step by step instructions
- Start by cooking down the diced onion and garlic in olive oil on the stove. You don’t want to bite into raw onion in the middle of the meatball, so cooking the onions beforehand prevents this.
- In a large bowl combine ground pork, ground beef, panko bread crumbs, egg yolks and ranch seasoning. Add the cooked onions and garlic.
- Quick Tip! Ranch seasoning can be made at home, using the recipe link provided above or purchased in a package at the grocery store near the other seasoning mixes.
- Note! If you’re in a pinch and don’t have any ranch seasoning, substitute a combination of 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp onion powder.
- Quick Tip! Ranch seasoning can be made at home, using the recipe link provided above or purchased in a package at the grocery store near the other seasoning mixes.
- Form the mixture into 24 meatballs and fill each meatball with a heaping tablespoon of Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Be sure to wrap the meatball around the cheese so that it doesn’t leak out during the cooking process.
- Wrap a half slice of bacon around each meatball.
- Place the bacon wrapped meatballs on a wire rack on top of a foil lined rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
- Quick Tip! For super crispy bacon add 5-10 minutes to the cooking time. For less crispy bacon, take 10 minutes off the baking time.
How to make them gluten free
To make these meatballs gluten free, you’ll want to use gluten free panko breadcrumbs instead of traditional panko breadcrumbs. These can be found at most major grocery stores.
To make the meatballs gluten free and even lower in carbs, use Pork Panko instead of panko breadcrumbs. This substitution will take each meatball from 3 carbs, down to 1 carb.
How to smoke the meatballs
These meatballs are so delicious prepared on a smoker instead of in the oven. To smoke the meatballs, preheat the smoker to 275°F and smoke for 50-60 minutes, or until the meatballs reach 165°F internally.
If you want to crisp up the bacon at the end, pop the meatballs under the broiler in the oven on high for 1-2 minutes or turn the heat on the smoker up to 400°F and allow the meatballs to cook for an additional 5 minutes.
What sauce to serve with them
These meatballs are delicious on their own, but also great when served with a dipping sauce. Here are a few ideas to try!
- BBQ Sauce – this is what I personally serve with these meatballs. I love the sweet and smoky flavor of the sauce with the salty, cheesy meatballs! They’re seriously delicious with this Red Wine BBQ Sauce!
- Ranch Dressing – since one of the secret ingredients in these meatballs is ranch seasoning, why not double up on the ranch and dip these meatballs in ranch dressing?!
- Spicy Aioli – for something creamy with a kick, try a spicy aioli dipping sauce on the side!
- Buffalo Sauce – you all knew I had to throw it in there! Cheesy, meaty goodness, dipped in spicy, tangy buffalo sauce, totally perfect for game day!
More cheesy appetizers to try
Be sure to pick up plenty of Cabot Cheddar Cheese at the grocery store to make all of these delicious appetizers!
- Grilled Jalapeno Poppers
- Buffalo Cheddar Cream Cheese Ball
- Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls
- Easy Taco Croissants
- Buffalo Cheeseburger Dip
- Everything Bagel Cheese Ball
- Jalapeno Popper Crescent Rolls
Cabot is a co-operative owned by 1,000 family farms throughout New England and New York, with 100% of the profits going back to the farmers. Support a farmer & eat delicious cheese, sounds like a win-win to me!
Thanks again to Cabot for sponsoring today’s post!
Bacon Wrapped Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup onions, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, see below for gluten free/keto substitute
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tbsp ranch seasoning
- 2 cups Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
- 12 slices bacon, sliced in half
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the onions, saute 4-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and saute for an additional minute, then remove the skillet from the heat.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, egg yolks, ranch seasoning and cooked onions and garlic.
- Once the mixture is combined well, begin to form the mixture into 24 meatballs, placing a heaping tablespoon of shredded Cabot Cheddar Cheese in the middle of each meatball.
- Wrap the meatball around the cheese in the middle.
- Once the meatballs are prepared, wrap each meatball with a half a slice of bacon.
- Place the prepared bacon wrapped meatballs on top of a wire rack on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet.
- Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked to your desired level of crispiness.
Notes
- Gluten Free & Keto Option: Substitute Pork Panko for the panko breadcrumbs to make the meatballs gluten free and reduce the carbs from 3 grams per meatball to 1 gram per meatball.
- Ranch Seasoning: this seasoning mix can be made at home, using the recipe link provided above or purchased in a package at the grocery store near the other seasoning mixes.
- If you’re in a pinch and don’t have any ranch seasoning, substitute a combination of 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp onion powder.
Nutrition Facts
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2 Comments on “Cheesy Bacon Wrapped Meatballs”
Hi! I’m making this recipe tomorrow! I see that there’s ranch seasoning but nowhere in the recipe does it say to add it.. I imagine in the meat mix?
Hi Caroline, I apologize for that oversight. Yes, you’ll add the ranch seasoning with the panko breadcrumbs and egg yolks to the meatball mixture. I have updated the recipe card to reflect this in step 5. Enjoy!