If you have kids, then you might deal with picky eating every once in a while. There are some staple meals in every house and if yours are burgers, tacos, pancakes, and pasta, then these Cheeseburger Meatballs are going to help you out.
Fast Dinners for the Win
I thrive on fast dinners. Mainly because our evenings are busy. As a family, we are very intentional with activities and how far away we live from what we choose to do.
I am rarely more than 20 minutes from home on a weeknight. That means I make dinner at home every night. Since I’m not big on meal planning too far in advance, I always have recipes that I keep in my pocket that I can just whip up when time is short.
These meatballs take 25 minutes flat and 15 minutes of that time is in the oven. In that 15 minutes, you can pull out that bag of frozen corn and put together a salad. Or you could think ahead and put some fries in the oven 10 minutes before the meatballs and both will be done at about the same time.
Inexpensive Dinner for the Family
We are a family of 5, and this works for us — three to four meatballs each, especially with fruits and veggies as sides, and that’s all we need. On one meatball night, my son grabbed a leftover hamburger bun and smashed 2 meatballs to have a typical burger — so smart!
The cost of ground beef has gone up a bit, but when you learn how to stretch, you are still able to get lean meat for the family. Adding ingredients like whole wheat breadcrumbs, calcium-rich cheddar cheese, and more protein from the egg, you’ll be able to get your money’s worth from that one pound of beef.
Beef as a Source of Important Nutrients
One final plug for making cheeseburger meatballs, especially if you have active kids at home. I am always looking for ways to get more iron in at our meals. Lean beef is rich in protein, of course, but also iron, zinc, and vitamin B-12 — all of which are important for growth, development, and performance.
I highly suggest adding some of the additional toppings or having them available separately.
Comment below if you make these and love them!!
Print
Cheeseburger Meatballs
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 20 meatballs 1x
Ingredients
1 pound 97% lean ground beef
1/2 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
1 large egg
1 teaspoon each: garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, kosher salt
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Optional Toppings:
Mustard
Ketchup
Diced onions
Diced pickles
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine all ingredients (except the optional toppings) in a large bowl and mix together with your hands.
Divide meat mixture into 20 portions, roll out each and place on parchment paper with space between each meatball.
Bake for 15 minutes and top with optional toppings or eat without toppings.
Notes
Nutrition information is for 1 meatball
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes