Barbecue Bacon Meatballs over Pasta

I love meatloaf, especially my Dad's and I love meatballs.  One day I realized that meatballs are essentially the same concoction of meat, filler and seasonings as meatloaf and I decided to take my favorite meatloaf recipe and put it into meatball form.  This recipe was born and it was quite simply a delicious idea; one that I am going to repeat with my Dad's recipe and others like it.

Ok, so enough with my undying  love of meatballs.  This recipe is simple, fast and very kid friendly.  I love the smoky/salty flavor from the bacon paired with the sweet tangy flavor of the barbecue sauce.  Match it up with noodles, rice or your favorite potato dish for a quick weeknight meal. 

Barbecue Bacon Meatballs

Recipe Source: A Cook’s Quest

1-1½ pounds ground meat (beef or turkey work best)
¾ c quick oats
½ c milk
1 egg
¼-½ c grated onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 slices bacon fried and crumbled
3T Jenn’s Barbecue Sauce +1/2 cup for later

Combine all ingredients except ½ c barbecue sauce. Form into balls and place on a cookie sheet or press into a loaf pan if you make the meatloaf version.

Meatballs: bake at 350 about 20 minutes until cooked through. Coat with remaining ½ cup barbecue sauce and serve over egg noodles.

Meat Loaf: Place loaf pan in oven, on a cookie sheet to avoid spills. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes to an hour (this is going to depend on the depth of your pan.) During the last 15 minutes, top the meat loaf with the remaining barbecue sauce and continue cooking.

**After baking meatballs, freeze on the cookie sheet.  Once solid, place in freezer bags and store in your deep freeze.  When ready to eat, thaw them in the refrigerator, microwave 2-3 minutes or warm through in the oven and then top with sauce.

**I freeze the meatloaf before baking.  Top with a double layer of foil and freeze.  Thaw, then place in the oven and bake as directed above.

Total Cost: $3.46
Ground Beef-$1.30 (it had a coupon, plus it was on sale)
Oats $.08
Milk $.09
Egg $.09
Onion/Seasonings $.10
Bacon $.45
Barbecue Sauce about $.35
Egg Noodles $1.00