Mini Bacon Meatballs

I love when I can look at food and see the ingredients used to prepare them, bits of real garlic, fresh parsley, flecks of coarse ground pepper...love that.


I know this is going to shatter all that us true and holy but these little balls of meat didn't even need the bacon...I know that is straight blasphemy! I mean I put it in there but the flavor was such that you could have done with out them and been good! So don't skip the recipe just because you don't have bacon.

Mini Bacon Meatballs
http://www.cuisinerecipes.com/2011/04/14/mini-bacon-meatballs/


What you need:

• 2 strips bacon, diced
• 1⁄4 cup diced onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1⁄2 lb. ground beef sirloin
• 1⁄4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
• 1⁄2 tsp. paprika
• 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1⁄2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten

What to do:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Coat a pan with nonstick spray.
• Sauté bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until starting to crisp, about 4 minutes. Remove and set aside on a paper-towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp. drippings from skillet.
• Sauté onion in same skillet in reserved drippings over medium heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic to skillet and cook, 1 minute.
• In a large bowl combine beef, bacon, onion mixture, bread crumbs, parsley, paprika, salt, and pepper . Stir in beaten egg.
• Form mixture into 1-inch meatballs and place on prepared pan.
• Bake meatballs until fully cooked, about 10 minutes.

Originally published Oct 2011