Cheesy Bacon Wrapped Meatballs (Juicy One Bite Bombs)

These little Cheesy Bacon Wrapped Meatballs are my family’s newest obsession!

They’re juicy one-bite bombs that disappear in minutes.

I discovered these at my kid’s soccer tournament last week when another team mom brought something similar.

My child went absolutely crazy for them!

My family helps me make these and calls them “flavor explosions” which is spot on.

These are preferct for Memorial day, 4th of July, potlucks or anytime you need to feed a crowd.

My husband ate so many when he was home that I thought he might explode himself!

Trust me you cannot eat just one.

Now let me show you how easy these are…

How to Make Bacon Wrapped Meatballs

For these tasty little bombs you’ll need:

Cheesy Bacon Wrapped Meatballs

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb ground beef leftovers work great for this meatball bomb recipe
• 1 egg
• Your favorite seasonings
• 1/2 lb bacon about one slice per meatball
• Fresh mozzarella cheese cut into 1″ cubes one per meatball)
• Parsley for garnish
• 1/4 cup BBQ sauce optional but so good for glazing

Instructions

• We’re going to bake these in the oven so no mess of grilling or frying!
• Super easy cleanup which is always a win in my book.
• First grab your ground beef mixture. Roll about a tablespoon or so of the beef in your hands to make a little ball.
• Then press your thumb in the center to make a little pocket.
• This is the fun part! Take one of those mozzarella cubes and stuff it right into the center of the meat.
• Then gently close the meat around it making sure to cover the cheese completely. You don’t want any cheese escaping during baking or you’ll lose all that gooey goodness!
• Now wrap a slice of bacon around the meatball. Try to cover as much of the meatball as possible.

My middle daughter says they look like little presents being wrapped up. Sometimes I have to trim the bacon a bit if its too long for the smaller balls.

Step 5: Place all your little bombs on a baking sheet seam-side down so they stay put. I like to use one with a rack so the bacon grease can drip down but if you don’t have one just use parchment paper for easier cleanup.

Step 6: Pop them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 25-30 minutes minutes.

You want the bacon to get nice and crispy and the meat to be fully cooked. Sometimes I turn on the broiler for the last minute or two to get them extra crispy on top but watch them carefully they can burn fast!

Another addition I do is after 10 minutes of cooking I will take them out and brush some BBQ sauce for an added kick!

Step 7: Stick a toothpick when ready and sprinkle with parsley for garnish.

Let them cool for like 5 minutes before serving because that cheese inside is seriously HOT.

And thats it! So easy right?

The hardest part is keeping everyone from eating them all before you can serve them!

Helpful Recipe Tips

So I’ve made these bombs a few times now and learned a few tricks!

For the juiciest meatballs try using a mix of ground beef and pork. The pork adds so much moisture and flavor. But honestly you can use all beef or even turkey if you want.

Just remember turkey gets a bit drier so maybe add an extra egg or some breadcrumbs to help.

Thick-cut bacon works best here! It gives that nice crispy texture and covers the meatballs better.

When wrapping the bacon make sure its snug but not super tight. This lets the fat render as it cooks which keeps everything juicy. If the bacon keeps unwrapping use toothpicks! Learned that one the hard way.

If you want to take these up a notch try brushing them with BBQ sauce! Use a thicker sticky sauce that will coat well and get all caramelized when cooking.

For cooking I do 375 degrees for about 25-30 minutes. You want the meatballs cooked through but still juicy inside.

If youre using BBQ sauce brush it on during the last 10 minutes so it doesnt burn. Sometimes I do two coats for extra flavor.

Make ahead tip! You can prep these the day before a party and keep them in the fridge until ready to bake. Such a time saver when youre running kids to soccer practice and trying to get ready for a cookout!

Leftovers keep in the fridge for about 3 days but honestly we never have any left. My husband makes sure of that!