Sweet Meatballs for a big crowd

Preperation time
20 m
Skills level

Serving size
30
Country of origin

Preparation time: 20 m
Cooking time: 25 m
Servings: 30

Ingredients

  • Meatballs: 85- 90% lean ground beef 3-4 lbs.
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1-2 teaspoons dried italian herbs (I like McCormick)
  • 1/2 cup cornflake breadcrumbs (not the cereal)
  • 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs (you may use Panko)
  • a few tablespoons of dried parsley
  • 3 eggs
  • dipping sauce: 1 cup ketchup, 3 tablespoons of light brown sugar, and a few tablespoons of honey (warmed)
Recipe Type:
Course:

These meatballs were made for a large crowd, but this recipe can be adapted for a family dinner, just modify the ingredients. My kids love these, and the dipping sauce is so yummy!!!!

Start by adding the meat to a big bowl, you need a lot of room to mix up everything. Then, start mashing the meat with a fork. Next, add your ingredients: salt, brown sugar, ketchup, honey, Italian herbs and parsley and mix well. Beat your eggs in a separate bowl, just in case you get a bad one, then mix in the eggs and add the breadcrumbs. I sometimes add a few more shakes of the cornflake breadcrumbs to play up the sweetness factor. Mix really well with a fork and then mix with your hands. Make golf ball size meatballs. Be sure you roll them in the balm of your hand and make them compact, so they do not break apart. Put them on a cookie sheet with tin foil that has been greased with olive oil. Heat in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Check one or two to be sure they are evenly cooked and brown all the way through. The bottoms may get a little browned but I like them a bit crispy. You can adjust your cook time.

Then mix together the ketchup, honey and brown sugar and serve the warmed meatballs with the dipping sauce on the side. You can warm the dipping sauce in the microwave. These are great to serve at a party as an appetizer. If you make them the day before, you can get the chill out of them by heating them briefly in the microwave and then steaming a little bit of water in a pot and put the meatballs in the pot to steam and stay warm. They also get very moist. Reheating in the oven, may dry them out. This is crowd pleaser! You can do the same blended ingredients and make a meatloaf. This makes roughly 30 meatballs, so you will have to adapt the recipe for a smaller gathering.