Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Barbecue Meatballs

When I was a kid, my mom cooked dinner on top of everything else that busy moms do each and every day. Naturally, this meant that she gravitated towards recipes that didn't require a lot of work or time. To our dismay, however, our family's repertoire of such recipes was quite limited. So, chicken in the freezer meant soy sauce chicken or sweet sour chicken. Ground turkey in the freezer led to chili, meatloaf, or barbecue meatballs. You can probably imagine how often each of those dishes appeared on our table. My sisters and I would groan and ask why she couldn't make something else (more laborious) like Korean chicken or lasagna. To which she'd reply that someday when WE did the cooking, we could make what we liked.


Well, that day arrived. Now I'm the one who does a lot of the cooking, either for myself or for my family. And, wouldn't you know, I find myself making the same simple, quick recipes she did, though this time with a lot more appreciation. That's not to say that I don't enjoy the dishes, though. In fact, this barbecue meatball recipe is one of my favorites. It's so easy since all you have to do is make the meatballs, bake them, and then finish them off in a tangy, mouthwatering barbecue sauce. We even like to add some grated carrots and chopped green beans in the meatballs for an added healthiness factor. When they're finished, you can serve them with some mashed potatoes, or, if you're so inclined, put them into some buns and prepare yourself to taste the best meatball sandwiches ever.


Barbecue Meatballs

For the meatballs:
1.25 lb. ground turkey
1/2 round onion, chopped
dash garlic powder
splash of Worcestershire sauce
salt, ground black pepper
1/2 c. breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 carrot, grated
1/2 c. green beans, finely chopped

For the sauce:
1 1/2 c. ketchup
2 Tbsp. mustard
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar (white vinegar works well too)

Combine the ingredients for the meatballs and form into balls. Bake at 350F for 25 min. While the meatballs are baking, combine the ingredients for the sauce in a saucepan. Add the meatballs to the sauce and cook on medium heat for about 15-20 min. until everything is heated through.

This recipe is linked to:
Made it on Monday
These Chicks Cooked
Recipes I Can't Wait to Try
Whisking Wednesday
Cast Party Wednesday

15 comments:

  1. This looks really flavourful. I love the use of the worcester sauce.

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  2. They sound great, love the sauce:@)

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  3. These meatballs sound delightful! My mom's specialty was frozen meatballs in grape jelly and chili sauce, in the crockpot. Sounds gross but it wasn't bad, once in a while :) Kinda sweet & sour. These meatballs look a LOT better :) And more flavorful! Nice job!!

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  4. These look so good! They'd be great to serve at a party.

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  5. we love meatballs at our house! this sound delicious!
    erin
    http://eatingmywayback.blogspot.com

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  6. these look delicious we are a meatball loving family will have to try your recipe
    come see me at http://shopannies.blogspot.com

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  7. yum! so impressed that you made meatballs from scratch...i usually just buy them frozen :)

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  8. Like your lower-fat version meatballs. The generous amount of sauce on this dish look so inviting.

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  9. I find it funny how as we get older we turn into our mothers. I understand the need for fast delicious recipes. I would love these meatballs over mashed potatoes...delicious!

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  10. Isn't it hard to balance the desire for delicious nutritious food with the practical needs - you've got to get food on the table fast! Love this recipe.

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  11. It is always interesting how our appreciation for Mom's cooking changes once we have to do the cooking ourselves :) Your meatballs sound yummy!

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  12. These sound delicious! I'm a big fan of both meatballs and barbecue, but I've never tried the two together. Yum!

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  13. Hi, I just wanted to thank you for visiting Cast Party Wednesday and I hope you join me again tomorrow and share more of your great recipes!
    Thanks,
    I hope to see you tomorrow!

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  14. I just wanted to thank you for linking up on Whisking Wednesdays and let you know I featured your recipe. I hope you come back and link up another amazing recipe this week!

    http://pinchofthisthatandtheother.blogspot.com/2011/07/whisking-wednesdays-11.html

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