Meow Recipes

Monday, February 9, 2026

BBQ Meatballs

My Sister’s Family-Favorite BBQ Meatballs

I grew up in rural Minnesota and did (do?) a decent amount of cooking from church cookbooks. This recipe for BBQ meatballs originated with a church cookbook recipe and has been ON REPEAT for us for the last 2-3 months. Bjork and the girls have been so happy.

Sweet, savory, sticky and tender meatballs with some mashed potatoes, maybe some mac and cheese, a steamy pile of green beans? How could you not love it?

My sister brought this one into my life, and it is her kids’ absolute favorite. This is the meal that they ask for for every birthday. We even made them for a Christmas Day dinner last year.

I want you guys to know that I tried at least 5 variations to this recipe over the last few months. Would it be better with sauteed onions and peppers in the mix? (Not enough to justify the extra work.) Would cream work instead of evaporated milk? (Evaporated milk is far more tender.) Would the sauce work better with or without the vinegar? (The vinegar gives that sweetness a necessary edge.)

I ended up basically coming back to almost exactly how it was written in this little spiral-bound paper church cookbook.

Hope you love these, hope your kids love these.

How To Make BBQ Meatballs

1 Gather Ingredients.

I almost always have all these ingredients on hand (ground beef, egg, oats, ketchup, spices, brown sugar). Super pantry-friendly!

Ground beef, spices, oats, sauce, and other ingredients for BBQ meatballs.

2 Mix and Roll.

You can pack them all into one 9×13 (what my sister does for her family of 6) or you can split them between two baking pans so you can freeze a batch for later (what I do for our family of 4).

Mixed meatballs rolled into a casserole dish.

3 Cover with Sauce.

Whisk sauce and pour over the top. I divided my sauce between the two pans, since I typically split this recipe in two.

4 Bake!

When they’re done, if it’s not as saucy as you want, add 1/4 cup water to the pan and stir; this emulsifies any oil and gives the sauce a nice texture!

Baked bbq meatballs in a casserole dish.

5 Serve with Mashed Potatoes!

Our go-to for serving is mashed potatoes and green beans!

Spooning bbq meatballs over mashed potatoes with green beans on the side.

Homemade BBQ Meatballs

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Author: Lindsay
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Description

Juicy, tender BBQ meatballs baked in a sweet-and-smoky sauce. An easy dinner that my family loves! Freezer-friendly, too!

Ingredients

Units

Meatballs:

2 lbs. ground beef (I used 85/15)
1 cup quick oats
1 5–ounce can evaporated milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons salt

Homemade BBQ Sauce:

2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon each garlic powder and onion powder
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix Meatballs: Mix together all meatball ingredients. Roll into golf-ball sized balls; divide between two smaller casserole dishes OR arrange all of them in a larger 9×13 baking dish. (I have a family of 4; I divide this into two pans so I can freeze one for later. But my sister does this all in one large pan for her family of 6.)
Make Sauce: Whisk sauce together. Pour the sauce over the meatballs.
Bake: Bake meatballs and sauce for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and stir to coat them in sauce. Add 1/4 cup water after baking if you want; this will emulsify the sauce a bit and loosen it up.
Finish: Serve meatballs with mashed potatoes and green beans! So yum.

Notes

I typically get 35-40 meatballs with this recipe.

To cook from the freezer, bake (from frozen) for 60-75 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through and tender, and the sauce is bubbling. Add 1/4 cup water to loosen the sauce as needed before serving.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Category: Dinner
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American

Keywords: bbq meatballs, meatball recipe, meatball dinner

Frequently Asked Questions For This Recipe

Can you use ground turkey or ground chicken instead?

Yep! I would try to get as high a fat percentage as you can though to add more tenderness and flavor.

What can I substitute for liquid smoke?

You can omit it completely, or sub in smoked paprika to add a little bit of smokiness.

How do you freeze and reheat this recipe?

Place the rolled (raw) meatballs in a large foil pan and cover with the sauce. Cover and freeze for up to 6 months. Bake (from frozen) for 60-75 minutes at 350 degrees or until the meatballs are cooked through and tender, and the sauce is bubbling. Add 1/4 cup water to loosen the sauce as needed before serving.

Can you use breadcrumbs instead of quick oats?

Yes! Panko or breadcrumbs will work as well.

How do you make your mashed potatoes?

This is my favorite recipe! Made in the Instant Pot, super easy.

More Meatball Recipes My Family Loves

Ricotta Meatballs with Crispy Topping

Baked Chicken Meatballs

Swedish Meatballs

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Thursday, February 5, 2026

Viral Brownie Pudding for Two

Viral Brownie Pudding, But Make It Couch-Approved

Here’s my moment: I’m sitting on the couch, in my pajamas, favorite show on (it’s Survivor, obviously), and my happy little hands are wrapped around a warm ramekin filled with the most luscious gooey brownie pudding.

For no other reason than it’s a Tuesday and the little things are the big things. Why I love them:

The hands-wrapped-around-a-warm-ramekin feeling is something that February just really calls us to.
Every time you tap your spoon into the top layer, it gives a very subtle crackle, so every bite gets a mix of gooey brownie and delicately chewy, crisped top. WOW, YES.

Hand holding single serving brownie pudding.

The original viral brownie pudding is an Ina recipe, of course. I’ve made it in its classic, large batch form and it’s a lot of fun. But then I saw this video for a single-serving version (genius) in ramekins (affiliate link), and I knew that this was my move. The way you can carve your spoon around the ramekin and dig through it to get the exact ratios of chewy to gooey? Ugh. So good. Is anyone else weird like this?

The version you’re seeing here is a bit of a mashup between these two, with enough batter to make two robust servings (or 3-4, if you wanted them a bit smaller). We made these again the other night when a friend who came over, and the three of us sat in silence by the fire just getting into these gooey, warm delights.

Hope you love them!

How To Make Brownie Pudding For Two

1 Beat Eggs and Sugar.

Probably the most important step! I set my timer for 2 minutes and just let it get light and creamy.

2 Add Flour and Cocoa Powder.

I’m a big fan of using a kitchen scale for this! But you can do it without one, no prob.

Adding cocoa powder and flour to the bowl.

3 Fold in the Butter.

Don’t over-mix, just a few gentle stirs to incorporate that melted butter!

4 Send Her To a Water Bath!

I put my ramekins in a loaf pan and then fill halfway with water.

Adding brownie pudding batter to two ramekins.

5 Enjoy Your Life.

The tap of the spoon on the lightly chewy, crisped top layer is a really good moment.