I’m pretty excited about today’s #SundaySupper theme. Meatballs! The meatball varieties are almost endless and I can’t wait to see what everyone has cooked up. You can check out the extensive list by scrolling past my recipes. Thanks to Sue of A Palatable Pastime for hosting today.

I didn’t know which direction I was going to go with my recipe and decided to look to my bookshelf instead of the internet. I had a few good contenders from Alex Guarnaschelli, Amanda Freitag, and Giada De Laurentiis, but when I saw Chili Meatballs with Cheese Dipping Sauce from Rachael Ray I was sold. I thought, “Well that’s different!” And they were. However, they were not very photogenic meatballs (which is probably why it wasn’t one of the photographed recipes in her cookbook). When scrolling through photos on my camera my husband thought they were a healthy no-bake granola-ball type of thing. They were definitely delicious though and I was already thinking about how I could improve the meatball and try again. I was going to put the crushed tortilla chips in the meatball instead of coating them in the chips and I was going to pulse the kidney beans so they’d be more incorporated with the meat. Firecracker pointed at them, but wouldn’t give them a second glance to try any. 

When I got around to making Chili Meatballs v2 I ran into some issues. Number one being that I accidentally donated the can of kidney beans during Chick-fil-A’s Leap Day food drive. Number two being some unwelcome ants hanging out by my stove. (Thank goodness for an awesome Terminix guy who could show up on his way home that day!) I needed to cook my ground sirloin lest risk it going bad, so it was on to Plan B.

Plan B had to be something that allowed me to get everything done on the “safe” side of the kitchen and didn’t require a trip to the store. (I feel like that latter condition pops up a lot, but hey, when it’s cold out who wants to bundle up two babies for a trip to the grocery store?!)

I created my meatball mixture during naptime and baked 5 of them just to be sure they tasted good enough to share and attempt photography during daylight hours. Question: How in the world does one take photos of balls of meat?! I couldn’t come up with anything and will not be submitting my photos for this week’s Readers Choice Awards. More dedicated planning probably would have helped to add some fun garnishes and background props. Lighting, time, and skill would also be beneficial.

The result was a Lauren original that Firecracker devoured! He spied the plate of meatballs sitting on the counter. I’d venture to guess that he thought they were a sweet because I’d not seen the “Can I eat it?” reaction for anything else. I completely expected him to run away when I offered him a bite, but to my surprise he took that bite! And then came back for another. And another. I put the plate down on his table and watched in awe while he ate a total of 4 (cold) meatballs. I was sure to tell him what he was eating (“meatballs”) so that he could associate the word to the food and hopefully eat meatballs again. He ate another 3 for lunch the next day.

I served these alongside some steamed broccoli and “creamettes”. Creamettes are a wonderful creation of my grandmother’s – cooked pasta (usually elbow macaroni, but I used shells because that’s what I had) sauteed in butter until lightly crispy and seasoned with salt. Simplicity at its most delicious.

Bourbon Baked Bean Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb ground sirloin
• 2/3 C canned bourbon baked beans, smashed
• 1/2 C panko breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a large casserole dish.
2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until combined, using your hands. Form 20 golf ball sized meatballs.
3. Arrange meatballs in the prepared casserole dish. Bake 12-15 minutes, until cooked through.

Meatball Appetizers:

• Bacon Wrapped Cheesy Meatballs with Maple Balsamic Sauce from The Crumby Cupcake
• Buffalo Chicken Meatballs  from Sunday Supper Movement
• Cheesy Stuffed Pepperoni Pizza Meatballs from The Weekend Gourmet
• Crab Cake Mini Meatballs with Tartar Sauce from The Texan New Yorker
• Garlicky Shrimp Meatballs from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Grilled Korean Meatballs from Palatable Pastime
• Saucy Thai Meatballs from Brunch-n-Bites
• Slow Cooker Turkey Appetizer Jelly Meatballs from Noshing With The Nolands
• Stuffed Meatballs from The Freshman Cook
• Tofu Nuggets from NinjaBaker
• Turkey Meatballs in Orange Sauce from Pine Needles In My Salad
• Turkey Meatballs with Spinach and Goat Cheese from Our Good Life

Meatball Soups:

• Russian Meatball Soup from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Main Dish Meatballs:

• All-Purpose Meatballs from Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Baked Meatballs with Swiss Chard from And She Cooks
• Bourbon Baked Bean Meatballs from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Cheesy Italian Meatball Sandwich from La Bella Vita Cucina
• Chicken Parmesan Meatball Casserole from Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Deep Dish Skillet Meatball Pizza from From Gate to Plate
• Fightin’ Irish Balls from Monica’s Table
• General Tso’s Chicken Meatballs from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Grandma’s Italian Meatball Subs from Family Around The Table
• Hamballs from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Kefta Mkaouara (Moroccan Meatballs Tagine) from Curious Cuisiniere
• Keftedakia (Greek-style Meatballs) from Tramplingrose
• Kofte-Style Lamb Meatballs in a Tomato-Pepper Sauce from Caroline’s Cooking
• Meatball Subs from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Moroccan Lamb Meatballs in Tomato Sauce from MyGourmetConnection
• Orecchiette and Meatball Skillet Dinner from Momma’s Meals
• Persian Lamb Meatballs from Food Lust People Love
• Portuguese Meatballs in Garlicky Wine Sauce from Family Foodie
• Roasted Vegetable Meatballs from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Slow Cooker Meatball Ranch Stroganoff from Seduction in the Kitchen
• Slow Cooker Spanish Meatballs from The Chef Next Door
• Sriracha Sesame Turkey Meatballs from Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Sun Dried Tomato & Bulgarian Feta Chicken Meatballs over Lemon-Spinach Orzo From Simply Healthy Family
• Swedish Meatballs (Frikadeller) from Feeding Big
• Swedish Meatballs with Zucchini Ribbons from Angels Home Sweet Homestead
• Sweet & Sour Freezer to Slow-Cooker Meatballs from Wholistic Woman
• Tajine-el-Khoukh (Algerian Stuffed Peaches) from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Thai Meatball Lettuce Wraps from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Thai Spaghetti and Meatballs from Kitchen Gidget
• Thai Red Curry Meatballs with Coconut Curry Sauce from kimchi MOM
• Ultimate Pasta & Meatballs from MealDiva

Meatball Desserts:

• Brownie Meatballs with Frosting Spaghetti from Pies and Plots

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

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