Meatloaf Meatballs

Ever since my hands could roll, they’ve been rolling meatballs. They are the first food that I ever learned to make. When I was a little girl, my mom would pull a stool up to the counter and I would help her to roll the meatballs for Sunday dinner’s sauce. One by one, I would follow her lead and try to make them as perfect as I could. As we would line the meatballs up on the counter, she would tell me that I was doing a good job and I would feel proud.

Those are some of my first memories in the kitchen. Perhaps it was then, that a little seed was subconsciously planted inside of me. A teeny tiny little baby speck of a meatball seed that would someday grow into the desire to become a chef and nourish the drive to eventually help me flower into one. You never can tell how these things happen. Maybe it really is because of meatballs.

Meatballs are the theme for the 5 Star Makeover cooking group for this month. The challenge is to create an interesting type of meatball. I went for interesting, yet practical, which seems to be the direction I always tend to lean. Using good old ground beef, I combined two dinner classics, wrapped ‘em up in bacon and stuffed them with cheese to make meatloaf meatballs.

The bacon melts onto the flavorfully seasoned  meat, incorporating a delicious saltiness on the outside that only a slice of pork belly can do so well. One thing I particularly enjoy about meatloaf is the ketchup glaze. Half way through cooking, the meatballs are basted with a simple, no-cook ketchup glaze made with maple syrup and Worcestershire sauce.They are coated with another thick layer when they come out of the oven.

These have the portability of a meatball with the flavor of a meatloaf, and they come with a nice surprise inside—a melted hunk of mozzarella. Serve over rice and enjoy! To see all the other meatball creations that the group came up with, click the link below:

hosted by 5 Star Foodie & Lazaro Cooks!

Meatloaf Meatballs:

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Yield: 10-12 Meatballs

- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pounds ground sirloin
- 1 cup panko breadcrumb
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dry thyme
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, divided
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 egg
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 cup mozzarella, cut into cubes
- 5-6 slices of bacon, cut in half
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2) Heat the olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until just fragrant.
3) In a large bowl, combine the cooked onion and garlic with the meat, breadcrumb, garlic powder, thyme, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, cumin and the egg. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Mix until all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
4) To prepare the glaze, mix together the remaining Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, maple syrup and hot sauce in a medium bowl.
5) Form the meat mixture into balls a little larger than the size of golf ball; insert a cube of mozzarella into each, forming the meat completely around the cheese. Wrap each meatball in a slice of bacon and place seam-side down on a broiler pan.
6) Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes, and then baste with half the glaze. Bake 15 minutes more until the meat and bacon are fully cooked. Brush on the remaining glaze and serve immediately.