1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 C oats or breadcrumbs-I used oats
1 egg
1/3 C ketchup
2 Tblsp mustard
1/2 each tsp paprika, garlic powder, Italian Seasoning, pepper
4 oz cheddar cheese cut into cubes, approx 1/2 " (or any cheese you like, ask the deli to slice it thick)
1/2 lb bacon, cooked crispy and broken into bigger 1/2"-ish pieces
Mix everything except cheese and bacon.
Using 1 Tblsp mix, roll into ball, flatten it out in the palm of your hand. Add a cube of cheese and a few pieces of bacon. Carefully bring the sides of the meatball up to cover the cheese and bacon. Roll till round and smooth. Technique here.
After all meatballs are made, stick any leftover bacon onto the top of the meatballs.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Notes:
- Maybe it's that Philly thing... but I lost my patience for trying to wrap the meat around the cheese and bacon after a while. I tried crumbling the left over bacon to the size of bacon bits and just adding it to the ground beef. I'm going to be honest and say you can really taste the bacon on the ones with the bigger pieces in the middle of the meatball, it gets lost on the bacon bits meatballs.
- Think of these as itty-bitty burgers folks, if you have favorite burger seasonings, use them. I'd add a healthy amount of Montreal Steak Seasoning the next time instead of the spices listed.
- Load up on dips-ketchup, mustard, BBQ Sauce, Mayo Dipping Sauce, whatever your crowd likes! While I didn't show it, pickles are always a good thing too.
- You'll get approximately 42 meatballs.
