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These BBQ Meatballs are the perfect comfort food! I took homemade meatballs, pan fried them to get them a bit browned on the outside, and then coated them in a simple BBQ sauce before baking! Totally weeknight doable and so good!
2 Ingredient Sauce + Homemade Meatballs!
Do my kids always get excited about dinner? No.
Is a saucy little meatball maybe going to be a sure bet just about every time these days? Yes.
The kiddos used to hate meatballs, but I have put in the work – they’re now just as obsessed as I am.
The sauce on these BBQ meatballs is pretty unique in the best, saucy possible way. It’s a homemade shortcut sauce that is both sweet and tangy, with a big hit of savory goodness and a little texture that is actually quite nice.
Did I mention the sauce is just 2 ingredients + a little water? Love a little shortcut like this!
Highly recommend serving these over a pile of our buttery Instant Pot mashed potatoes for a weeknight meal that is totally doable but also feels like a Sunday sort of dinner, you know?
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s comfort food that doesn’t require a grocery run. Ground beef, oats, ketchup, and a packet of onion soup mix. That’s pretty much it. No hunting down specialty ingredients or wondering what to do with leftover whatever.
- 40 minutes from start to finish. Brown the meatballs, toss them with sauce, and bake. Even with the extra browning step (which you can skip if you’re really pressed for time), this is still a solid weeknight win.
- The sauce is weirdly amazing. I know ketchup and onion soup mix sounds weird, but it creates this tangy, savory coating that makes these meatballs disappear fast.
Ingredient Notes:
For the meatballs:
Ground Beef – We’re using lean ground beef to make these meatballs. You could use a fattier cut or swap in some ground pork for a portion of the beef, if you like.
Rolled Oats – These act as a binder in meatballs. They also soak up of the fat to help keep the meatballs moist.
Garlic & Onion – Freshly minced garlic and diced onion are a simple addition to meatballs that add flavor and texture.
Egg – When combined with the oats the egg will help bind all the other meatball ingredients together so that they hold their shape when cooking.
Worcestershire Sauce – It doesn’t take much of this to add loads of savory flavor to just about anything. It’ll enhance the beefiness of the meatballs.
Vegetable Oil – For cooking the meatballs! Feel free to use any neutral flavored oil you like.
For the barbecue sauce:
Ketchup – This “BBQ sauce” is a bit different than your usual kind but like many BBQ sauce recipes it starts with your favorite brand of ketchup!
Onion Soup Mix – This is where things get weird. The onion soup mix is what gives the BBQ sauce most of the flavor! It’s not a traditional barbecue sauce but it works great with these meatballs. You can use less of this to taste as it can be pretty salty.
You could also use a homemade onion soup mix. Just mix together the beef base and seasonings in my recipe for onion soup burgers and add that to the ketchup and water!
Water – For mixing with the ketchup and soup mix to combine the two.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
My Favorite Skillet!
Cast iron skillets are my favorite! They heat so evenly, get piping hot for searing, and nothing is better than bacon fried in a cast iron skillet.
Swaps & Tips
Short on time? Skip the browning step and just mix the raw meatballs with the sauce in a baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes instead.
Want to use frozen meatballs? Go for it! Use about 24-30 frozen meatballs, toss with the sauce, and bake for 20-25 minutes until heated through.
Too salty? Use half a packet of onion soup mix, or make your own blend!
Feeding just 1-2 people? This recipe easily halves. Use 1/2 pound ground beef and half of everything else. Alternately, freeze the leftovers for another day.
Step by Step Instructions for Meatballs:
While your oven preheats add the meatball ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix well to combine. Form the mixture into 12 evenly sized meatballs. A cookie scoop might help.
Heat some oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides, about 3 minutes per side.
Prepare the BBQ sauce while the meatballs are cooking. Whisk together the ketchup, water, and onion soup mix in a small bowl.
Spoon BBQ sauce over the browned meatballs in the skillet and place in the oven to finish cooking for 20 minutes. Serve hot!
What goes with barbecue meatballs?
I serve these BBQ meatballs over our baked mashed potatoes or Instant Pot mashed potatoes. The tangy sauce pairs great with creamy potatoes! They also go well over white rice.
Some other classic pairings with BBQ meatballs include our baked mac and cheese, air fryer corn on the cob, and crockpot baked beans!
Storage & Freezing Instructions
Make-ahead: You can form the meatballs and make the sauce up to a day ahead – just store separately and combine when ready to bake
Refrigerator: Store covered for up to 4 days
Freezer: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months
Reheating: Warm in the microwave or oven at 350°F until heated through
BBQ Meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef around 80/20
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the barbecue sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 packet onion soup mix less to taste as it’s fairly salty
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Add ground beef, oats, milk, Worcestershire sauce, egg, onion, and garlic to a large bowl and mix well.
- Form mixture into 12 evenly sized, loosely compacted balls.
- Heat oil in a large skillet oven-safe skillet over medium heat.
- Add the meatballs to the skillet, working in batches if needed, and cook for 3 minutes per side or until browned.
- While meatballs are cooking, whisk together the ketchup, water, and onion soup mix in a small bowl.
- Spoon the mixture over the browned meatballs and place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes. Alternately, transfer the meatballs to a casserole dish and cover with the sauce before baking.
Julia Brammer says
I love saucy, savory things and these meatballs fit the bill. Easy and so yummy!
Sheri says
I bet you use a Cast Iron Skillet, right? (oven safe)
Karly Campbell says
Yes, a cast iron skillet works great here. All of our skillets are oven safe so I don’t use my cast iron as often because my daughter, the dishwasher, always complains about it. haha
Elizabeth Smith says
I loved the recipe but my family devoured it so I ended up making another casserole for the next day in the all came delicious over mashed potatoes and one of my children like the baked potato idea. Thanks for the idea and thanks for the great meal
Betsy says
These sound delicious! I make sloppy joes with a similar sauce; ketchup, a can of french onion soup and a bit of mustard. They are the best 🙂
Karly says
Oh, that sounds fabulous!