Whether you’re watching the big ball drop, or calling it a night at 9 pm, make a resolution to level up your New Year’s spread with these sweet and spicy meatball bites.
Thanks to Girl Gone Gourmet for the recipe, which only takes 30 minutes to make, so you won’t spend the whole night cooking.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- ¼ cup dried breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 egg
- 1 pound ground beef (85% lean)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup BBQ sauce (see note)
- ½ cup pepper jelly (see note)
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Directions
Meatballs
- In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder and egg. Add the ground beef and, using your hands, mix the beef with the breadcrumb mixture until combined.
- Scoop one tablespoon of the meatball mixture and roll it between your hands to form a ball and set it on a plate. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Place about half of the meatballs in the pan, spacing them several inches apart. Brown the meatballs on all sides. Don’t worry if they’re not all the way cooked through because they will finish cooking in the sauce.
- Transfer the browned meatballs to a clean plate. Place the other half of the meatballs in the pan and repeat the browning process. Transfer them to the plate with the other meatballs.
Sauce
- Once you’ve browned all of the meatballs, pour the water into the pan and, as it simmers, scrape up all of the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Pour the BBQ sauce into the pan with the water and bring it to a simmer. Add the pepper jelly and whisk it into the BBQ sauce until smooth.
- Add the meatballs back to the pan and stir them around to coat them in the sauce. Simmer the meatballs in the sauce for five to ten minutes or until they are cooked through and hot.
- Garnish the meatballs with chopped parsley (if using) and serve. Serve the extra sauce on the side for dipping. Makes approximately 27 meatballs.
After trying these meatballs you may not be able to wait until New Years day! Give them a try and have a wonderful 2025.