These Cheesy BBQ meatballs are ready in 20 minutes for a quick weeknight dinner that’s full of flavor. They’re kid-friendly and perfect for food prep.
Hi friends!
I’m excited to share this Cheesy BBQ Meatballs recipe with you guys. If you’ve been around awhile, you know we’re big fans of meatballs. Looking for some other options?
Try these:
- Paleo Turkey Sweet Potato Meatballs
- Carrot Pineapple Turkey Meatballs
- Apple Cheddar Meatballs
- Thai Chicken Meatballs
- Crockpot Meatball Soup with Tortellini
Meatballs in BBQ Sauce
These new meatballs with bbq sauce are sure to be a hit, especially with the kiddos! And they’re so easy to make. They even have carrots in them! I’ve found that carrots are the perfect addition to meatballs especially when you shred and then finely chop them. They blend in nicely and aren’t super noticeable especially when there’s a sauce.
These meatballs can also easily be gluten-free if you use gluten-free breadcrumbs. I use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs most recently but you can also use crushed rice chex, crushed GF crackers (Simple Mills works well!) etc.
As far as which bbq sauce to use, that’s up to you! For a lower sugar option I love Stubb’s, but I’m a KC girl so KC Masterpiece always has my heart.
Cheesy Barbecue Meatballs Recipe
Let’s talk about the ingredients:
- Garlic
- Egg
- Shredded carrots – I shred mine by hand and then finely chop the shreds
- Breadcrumbs- I prefer panko-style, regular or gluten-free
- Bbq sauce- choose your favorite!
- Shredded cheese- I use colby jack but cheddar would also work
- Ground turkey- You could also use ground beef or chicken
Once you mix all the ingredients in a bowl, simply use a cookie scoop to form 20-22 equal-sized balls, brush with bbq sauce and bake. I like to flip mine over halfway through and add a little more sauce.
If you’re not a fan of reheated meat, simply form into balls and stick the pan in the fridge so all you have to do is bake them when you get home.
Here are more detailed directions:
PrintCheesy BBQ Meatballs
These Cheesy BBQ meatballs are ready in 20 minutes for a quick weeknight dinner that’s full of flavor. They’re kid-friendly and perfect for food prep.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (regular or gluten-free)
1/2 cup shredded carrot, finely chopped
2/3 cup shredded cheese (colby jack or cheddar)
1 cup bbq sauce, divided
pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place turkey, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, carrots, cheese, salt and 1/3 cup bbq sauce in a bowl and mix until well combined.
- Use a cookie scoop to form into 20-22 equally sized balls and place on a cookie sheet (I line mine with aluminum foil and spray with oil or use a Silpat.)
- Brush lightly with half the remaining bbq sauce and bake 9 minutes. Flip over and brush with remaining bbq sauce.
- Bake an additional 7-9 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165 degrees F.
- Optional – sprinkle additional cheese on top just before serving.
Notes
To make these gluten-free use GF breadcrumbs and BBQ sauce.
You can sub any ground meat for the turkey.
This recipe can be easily doubled.
So there you go!
Cheesy BBQ Meatballs
Be sure to let me know if you try these!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
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Looks delicious! I have all the ingredients, will make tomorrow! Thanks for sharing.
This was great! Thank you!
I forgot to buy GF breadcrumbs 🙁 Do you think I could use some GF oats or almond flour?
These were so good! My gf breadcrumbs were seasoned so I didn’t add the garlic. My husband said we need to make them again after his first bite and the 2 year old devoured them as well! So easy to come together too, which is everything to me!
I didn’t see this in the comments, but if I wanted to freeze these, would I do so prior to cooking or after?? And how long do they last in the freezer?
Thank you! I’ve made these a couple times and love them.
4 stars! Great for submarine sandwiches. TX.