These delicious meatballs are ideal as snacks on game days or for your upcoming appetizer party. A straightforward glaze and a bacon-crumbled garnish will be liked by practically everyone!
| Prep Time: | 25 mins |
| Cook Time: | 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 45 mins |
| Servings: | 14 |
| Yield: | 14 meatballs |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ pound hot Italian pork sausage, casing removed
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
- ½ cup chopped cooked bacon
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup Grade A maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon chicken soup base
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
- 3 slices cooked, crumbled bacon
- wooden toothpicks (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Heat olive oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook onion until softened, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Remove from heat.
- Combine Italian sausage, ground beef, bread crumbs, cooked bacon, egg, salt, pepper, and the contents of the skillet in a bowl. Using your fingers, combine ingredients until they are well mixed. Form into about 14 meatballs, 2 inches in diameter, and place on the prepared sheet pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
- While the meatballs are baking, make the glaze. Combine water, maple syrup, soup base, and cayenne pepper in a 10-inch, nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat slightly. Boil until reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove glaze from heat and allow to cool. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down any syrup that clings to the sides of the skillet, and stir back into the glaze.
- Place meatballs in a serving dish and drizzle glaze over each meatball. Top with cooked, crumbled bacon and serve warm with toothpicks.
- The recipe includes several items that are already seasoned. I did not use any added salt, and the recipe was fine, for us.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 182 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 12 g |
| Cholesterol | 42 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Sodium | 444 mg |
| Sugars | 7 g |
| Fat | 11 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |