The Best Meatloaf Meatballs, My Kids Favorite Easy Dinner

One of the most requested dinners at our house is homemade meatballs. My kids love these, even my kids who aren’t big meat eaters.

I adapted this recipe from a meatloaf recipe my cousin Skye O. put in the family cook book 11 years ago. I think I was running short on time and decided to make meatballs instead of meatloaf to decrease the cooking time. It was a hit. I also increased the sauce to make sure the meatballs all get covered.

This is an easy recipe that takes a little time to prep, but is so delicious.

They aren’t Italian, or Spicy, or Vegan, but they are covered in Brown Sugar and tomato sauce and are sweet and mouthwatering. We love to eat them over rice, or our favorite, Quinoa Rice.

Most ingredients can be found in your pantry or fridge. I have also added extra veggies and fresh herbs, like shredded zucchini or basil at times. My kids still loved them.

I hope you enjoy this family favorite recipe. Play around with it by adding some of your favorite herbs and veggies. It is sure to please.

List of Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2/3 C. milk
• 3 slices of bread, torn into pieces
• 1/2 C. chopped onion
• 1/2 C. grated carrot
• 1 C. shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese
• 1 T. chopped parsley
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 1/2 lb. ground pepper
• 1 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 2 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce
• 1 C. packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. prepared mustard

To start, spray a pan with non-stick cooking spray and set the oven to 350 degrees.

Start by beating the eggs and milk together. Tear 3 pieces of bread into small pieces and add it to the egg mixture. Let this sit for a few minutes to allow the liquid to soak into the bread. I like to use the ends of the bread loafs when making this recipe.

Grate the carrots and chop the onions while waiting for the milk to soak into the mixture. Then stir in the veggies, cheese, herbs, and seasonings.

Add the meat and mix well.

I like to use a medium cookie baller to make the meatballs. It’s easy, and a lot less messy than rolling them by hand. You can also buy tools to make round meat balls and super fast meat balls on Amazon: check out these links below:

*Yes, I have an Amazon Influencer’s account and make a tiny commission off of your purchase. Honestly, it’s not much, last month (December 2020, I made about $20.00.) I greatly appreciate your add clicks and purchases, they help to offset the cost of running a private blog.

Once you have all the meatballs made, put them in the oven for 15 minutes.

While the meatballs are in the oven, make the sauce. It’s just two small cans of tomato sauce, one cup of brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons of mustard. Mix together in a medium mixing bowl.

Once the meatballs have been in the oven for 15 minutes, pour the sauce over the meatballs and return them to the oven for another 15 minutes. Double check to make sure you didn’t accidentally turn the oven off after the first 15 minutes.

Serve over rice or with potatoes. My kids love this recipe and will eat about 4-5 meatballs each. I hope you love these.

To make this recipe into Meatloaf instead of Meatballs:

• Form mixture into one large loaf.
• Cut the sauce recipe in half.
• Bake first for 45 minutes, add sauce, then bake for another 30 minutes.
• Occasionally spoon the sauce over the meatloaf.

If you liked this recipe, check out our favorite Blueberry Muffins, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, and Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup Recipes.