Bacon Wrapped Meatballs Recipe
Bacon Wrapped Meatballs are an easy appetizer made with just 3 ingredients: frozen meatballs, bacon and barbecue sauce. Quick to prep, made in oven or air fryer. Perfect for parties or game day!
Servings: 21 servings (2 meatballs per serving)
Calories: 2meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (20 to 22 ounce package) frozen meatballs
- 14 slices thin bacon, uncooked (about 12 ounces)
- ¾ cup barbecue Sauce
- Small toothpicks wooden picks without decoration that can withstand oven temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line two rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper or aluminum foil. (If you only have one pan, just add the second batch to the pan, with a clean piece parchment or aluminum foil, after removing the cooked BBQ meatballs.)
- Thaw and partially cook the frozen meatballs in the microwave. I microwaved them in a large microwave safe bowl (1100 watts) for 3 minutes on HIGH.Tip: This step reduces the size of the meatball, so the bacon more easily wraps around it. Plus, partially cooking them not only reduces the baking time, but release some of the drippings (grease) in the first step.
- Transfer the meatballs onto a large plate, covered with a paper towel to drain. Let them cool to the touch.
- Meanwhile, cut the bacon slices into halves or thirds, cutting crosswise and place back in the fridge. I cut mine in thirds. The toothpick helps hold the bacon on to the meatball. Remember, the meatball will shrink slightly after microwaving.
- When the meatballs are cool enough to handle and working with a few pieces of bacon at a time, wrap one cut section of a bacon slice around one meatball. Keep the rest of the bacon in the fridge until ready to wrap a few more.
- Secure the bacon with a small wooden pick (toothpick) and place on the prepared pans. Repeat the process with the remaining meatballs and bacon.
- Bake for 8 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and carefully turn each meatball over. Bake for an additional 2 minutes. This will crisp up the bacon on the other side.
- Brush the meatballs with the barbecue sauce and return to the oven for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
- Immediately remove the meatballs from the pans and place on a serving platter or bowl. You can either leave the toothpicks in so guests can grab the meatball by the pick or remove the picks and serve with decorative appetizer picks or tongs.
- For a potluck or party, you can also place them in a slow cooker set to WARM and serve them that way. If you remove the picks, you could even add more BBQ sauce and serve with a spoon.
Notes
Pro tips: How long you cut the bacon pieces will be determined by the size of your meatballs and the length of your bacon. Cut one slice of bacon, first, to test how long it needs to be for your meatballs.
Partially cooking the meatballs in the microwave reduces the size of the meatball, so the bacon more easily wraps around it. Plus, partially cooking them not only reduces the baking time, but release some of the drippings (grease) in the first step.
