Juicy, stuffed meatballs are made with a meatloaf mixture, formed into balls, stuffed with cheese and finished with a tomato-bacon jam.
If you have been around MAK for any length of time, you know our love for Venison Meatballs. Whether it’s a toasty Venison Meatball Sub (with parmesan cheese and gooey mozzarella cheese), rich and saucy Smoked Venison Meatballs (great for an appetizer or main dish), or a hearty dish with the most amazing creamy sauce like my Venison Marry Me Meatballs. No matter what you’re looking for, I’ve got all the meatball recipes for you.
Get ready to elevate your meatball game with these Meatloaf-Style Stuffed Meatballs! Juicy and packed with flavor, these little bites of heaven are made from a classic meatloaf mixture, shaped into perfectly plump balls, and stuffed with gooey cheese. The best part? They’re topped off with a savory, tangy tomato-bacon jam that will have everyone coming back for seconds (or thirds!). These meatballs are the ultimate crowd-pleaser for those busy back-to-school nights when you need something quick, comforting, and oh-so-satisfying.
Here’s a tip to make life even easier—double or triple the recipe and pop some in the freezer. You’ll thank yourself later when the chill of winter sets in and you’ve got these mouthwatering meatballs ready to go. They’re perfect for cozy weeknight dinners or even those last-minute get-togethers. With these stuffed meatballs in your freezer, you’ll be set for a delicious season ahead!
INGREDIENTS AND KITCHEN TOOLS
For the meatballs:
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic cloves
- Ground red meat (I use ground beef, bison, elk or venison)
- Dried breadcrumbs
- Milk
- Eggs
- Blsamic vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Italian seasoning
- Sea salt
- Black Pepper
- Pepper Jack cheese (I recommend cubes over slices)
For the bacon & tomato sauce:
- Bacon
- Onion
- Garlic clove
- Cherry or grape tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Sugar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Water
For the potatoes:
- Gold potatoes
- Softened butter
- Softened cream cheese
- Milk
- Sea salt
- Pepper
STEP BY STEP
Step 1: Begin by preheating the oven to 375F and heating a medium pan over medium heat.
Ste 2: Once the pan is hot, add the oil and onion. Saute until the onion turns translucent and then add the garlic. Cook for 2-3 additional minutes before removing from the heat.
Step 3: Add the sauteed onion and garlic to a large mixing bowl with the ground meat, breadcrumbs, milk, eggs, balsamic, Worcestershire, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix everything together well.
Step 4: Then, using a medium/large cookie scoop/spoon scoop about 2-3 tablespoons of the meat mixture into a ball. Place on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet.
Step 5: Before rolling the balls to shape them, insert a piece of cheese in the center of each meatball. Roll the ball to cover the cheese.
Step 6: Place all of the meatballs on a tray and bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
Step 7: While the meatballs cook, make your tomato bacon jam and potatoes.
Step 8: To make the potatoes, add the potatoes to a pot with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain them and place the potatoes back into the pot for a minute to dry up all liquid. Remove potatoes from the heat.
Step 9: Using a ricer, press the potatoes through to mash them. Then add the softened butter, cream cheese and warm milk. Whip with a spoon or whisk until combined. Taste to season. Add more milk if desired.
Step 10: To make the tomato bacon jam, add the bacon to the same pan you cooked the onion and garlic in earlier. Once the bacon is browned, remove it and drain off most of the oil. Leave about 2 teaspoons of bacon grease in the pan and add the onion. Cook down for about 5 minutes until it turns translucent. Add the garlic for a minute before adding the tomato and tomato paste. Then add the sugar, apple cider vinegar and water and allow the mixture to thicken until you reach a saucy consistency.
Step 11: When the meatballs are cooked, serve them on top of the mashed potatoes with a bit of tomato bacon jam. Enjoy!
HOW TO SERVE
This recipe is delicious as is, serve them on top of the mashed potatoes with a bit of tomato bacon jam, and voila! I also love serving this dish with steamed or roasted veggies, such as broccoli, zucchini or green beans.
STORING AND REHEATING
If you have leftovers for this recipe, you can easily store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. When ready to eat, reheat in the microwave until warm.
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Meatloaf-Style Stuffed Meatballs
Juicy, stuffed meatballs are made with a meatloaf mixture, formed into balls, stuffed with cheese and finished with a tomato-bacon jam.
- Prep Time: 40
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 1 hr 5 min
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- ½ cup diced onion
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 lb ground red meat (I use beef, bison, elk or venison)
- 2/3 cup dried breadcrumbs (plain or Italian are fine, sub almond meal for GF)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 and ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. Pepper
- 8 oz. pepper Jack cheese, cut into small cubes
For the sauce:
- ½ lb bacon, sliced into lardons
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 tsp.. tomato paste
- 1–2 Tbsp. sugar
- 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. water
For the potatoes:
- About 2 1/2 lbs gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 3 Tbsp. softened butter
- 2 Tbsp. softened cream cheese
- ½–1 cup warm milk, depending on desired consistency
- sea salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Begin by preheating the oven to 375F and heating a medium pan over medium heat.
- Once the pan is hot, add the oil and onion. Saute until the onion turns translucent and then add the garlic. Cook for 2-3 additional minutes before removing from the heat.
- Add the sauteed onion and garlic to a large bowl with the ground meat, breadcrumbs, milk, eggs, balsamic, Worcestershire, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix everything together well.
- Then, using a medium/large cookie scoop/spoon scoop about 2-3 tablespoons of the meat into a ball. Place on a parchment or silpat lined cookie sheet.
- Before rolling the balls to shape them, insert a piece of cheese in the center of each meatball. Roll the ball to cover the cheese.
- Place all of the meatballs on a tray and bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
- While the meatballs cook, make your tomato bacon jam and potatoes.
- To make the potatoes, add the potatoes to a pot with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain them and place the potatoes back into the pot for a minute to dry up all liquid. Remove potatoes from the heat.
- Using a ricer, press the potatoes through to mash them. Then add the softened butter, cream cheese and warm milk. Whip with a spoon or whisk until combined. Taste to season. Add more milk if desired.
- To make the tomato bacon jam, add the bacon to the same pan you cooked the onion and garlic in earlier. Once the bacon is browned, remove it and drain off most of the oil. Leave about 2 teaspoons of bacon grease in the pan and add the onion. Cook down for about 5 minutes until it turns translucent. Add the garlic for a minute before adding the tomato and tomato paste. Then add the sugar, apple cider vinegar and water and allow the mixture to thicken until you reach a saucy consistency.
- When the meatballs are cooked, serve them on top of the mashed potatoes with a bit of tomato bacon jam. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can freeze meatballs
- If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- This recipe can easily be doubled.
