Amish - Mennonite Barbecue Meatballs

Simple Meatloaf style meatballs smothered in a sweet and tangy, barbecue sauce. 

These Amish Barbecue Meatballs are my absolute favorite recipe that uses ground beef. These meatballs are simple to make and taste similar to meatloaf, but in meatball form and smothered in a tangy barbecue sauce. 

These meatballs are also made without breadcrumbs, but use oatmeal as a binder instead. I've never used oatmeal in meatballs or meatloaf before (my usual meatloaf recipe calls for cracker crumbs), but several old fashioned meatloaf and meatball recipes call for oatmeal.  

I read that oatmeal was used back in the day to stretch the amount of ground beef in a recipe and also helps to set the meat making it more tender and less crumbly when cooked. Once the meatballs were done, I couldn't even tell that oatmeal was used in the recipe.  Serve these meatballs as an entree with homemade (browned butter) mashed potatoes, vegetable and a side salad for a delicious meal any night of the week.  

I found this recipe on one of my favorite you tube channels Lynette Yoder, who is a Mennonite mom that shares her Amish - Mennonite style recipes. I've talked about her in a few other posts and I've tried several of her recipes and just like her other recipes these meatballs were not disappointing. Let's get started! 

To start pre heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the meatball ingredients together and form into 1- inch balls (I use a 1-inch cookie scoop).

Make sure you don't over mix the ground beef or you will end up with a dense meatball. Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with non stick spray and set aside.

In a separate bowl mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside.

Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce to the bottom of the baking pan (I forgot to do this part, but it all worked out in the end).

Line the meatballs up over the sauce and pour the remainder of the barbecue sauce over the top of the meatballs.

Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 45 - 55 minutes or until bubbly and the meatballs are cooked through.

Serve with homemade mashed potatoes and a vegetable of your choosing. 

Yield: 8

Author: Tina Butler | Mommy's Kitchen

Amish Mennonite Barbecue Meatballs

Simple Meatloaf style meatballs smothered in a sweet and tangy, barbecue sauce.

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1 1/2 - pounds ground beef or sirloin
• 6 - ounces evaporated milk or whole milk 
• 1 - cup quick cooking oatmeal
• 1 - egg
• 1 - teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 - teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 - teaspoons salt
• 1/4 - teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 - teaspoon parsley flakes
• 1/4 - cup chopped onion 

Sauce

• 1 - cup ketchup
• 1 - cup barbecue sauce (of your choice)
• 1/2 - cup brown sugar
• 1/2 - teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1/2 - teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 -  teaspoon garlic salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix the meatball ingredients together and form into 1- inch balls (I use a 1-inch cookie scoop).
3. Make sure you don't over mix the ground beef or you will end up with a dense meatball.
4. Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with non stick spray and set aside.
5. In a separate bowl mix the sauce ingredients together and spread about 1/2 cup to the bottom of the baking pan.
6. Line the meatballs up over the sauce and pour the remainder of the barbecue sauce over the top of the meatballs.
7. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 45 - 55 minutes or until bubbly and the meatballs are cooked through.

Notes:

Double the meatball recipe and freeze half of the meatballs to use at a later time. 

https://www.mommyskitchen.net/2020/10/amish-mennonite-barbecue-meatballs.html

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