You’ll enjoy yummy baked BBQ glazed cheese spinach meatballs, with cheddar and spinach, glazed with a homemade sweet, tangy sauce.
Almost 20 years ago my husband and I were served BBQ Glazed Cheese & Spinach Meatballs at our friend Carla’s home in Central California. We thought they tasted incredible, and I’ve been making them ever since! True story!
I don’t know where she got her original recipe, but I DO know that my handwritten 3×5 card is stained from nearly 20 years of making this dish.
The recipe is fairly economical, because 1½ pounds of ground beef makes about 15 good-sized meatballs which can yield several servings.
Ground beef is mixed with spinach, grated cheddar cheese, onions, and spices, formed into individual portions, and browned in a skillet. The meatballs are baked in the oven with a homemade BBQ glaze coating them.
They come out of the oven amazingly delicious! The meatballs are simple to make, and taste GREAT, served over steamed rice. Our sons are grown men and no longer living at home, so when I make this meal for myself and my hubby, I make extra rice, so we can enjoy another meal of leftovers! Here’s how to make these BBQ glazed cheese spinach meatballs:
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
Make The Meatballs
Place the spices, ground beef, cheese, onions and spinach in a large bowl. Use a fork to completely mix these ingredients together.
When all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined, it’s time to shape the mixture into cute, round meatballs!
Shape the meat mixture into a ball, rolling each one between the palms of your clean hands! Each meatball should be about 2 inches in diameter.
Brown The Meatballs
You can make about 15 meatballs from the ground beef. Place them on aluminum foil as you make each one, before browning them in a skillet.
Here are the meatballs, browning in the skillet. If you do not have a large enough skillet to hold all the meatballs, no problem! You will simply need to brown them in two batches.
Brown the meatballs on all sides, but be sure NOT to cook them all the way through. They will finish cooking all the way through in the oven.
Dip Browned Meatballs Into Flour
Remove the meatballs from the skillet once they are browned. Place a couple meatballs at a time into a small bowl of flour. Turn the meatballs gently, and cover them on all sides with flour.
Place the flour-coated meatballs into the baking dish, in a single layer. Now they’re ready for the BBQ sauce!
Make the sweet and tangy BBQ sauce, and pour it over the tops of the meatballs. Now it’s time to bake the BBQ glazed cheese spinach meatballs!
Bake The Glazed BBQ Cheese Spinach Meatballs
When the meatballs are finished baking, remove them from the oven. The photo below shows what they look like hot, straight out of the oven. They smell so good!
Time To Eat BBQ Glazed Cheese Spinach Meatballs!
Place a few meatballs on each individual plate. We enjoy them served on top of a bed of steamed rice. Drizzle the tops of the meatballs with that delicious BBQ sauce.
Garnish with a bit of parsley flakes, and serve the glazed BBQ cheese spinach meatballs while hot. All that’s left to do is grab a fork, and dig In, and enjoy the meatballs!
This dish is especially delicious served with a side of rice, and a yummy salad or veggie. I hope you will give them a try, because I think you’re gonna love ’em!
Thanks for stopping by, and please come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you… and have a wonderful day!
Looking For More MEATBALL Recipes?
You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have a variety of delicious recipes featuring meatballs, including:
- Meatballs Stroganoff
- Mom’s Swedish Meatballs and Rice
- Easy Meatballs For Spaghetti
- Chicken Enchilada Meatballs
- Italian Meatball Sandwiches
You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. Thanks for stopping by, and I truly hope you will come back soon for more delicious dishes. Have a great day!
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Recipe Adapted from: My friend Carla Merrill
↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
You'll enjoy yummy baked BBQ glazed cheese spinach meatballs, w/ cheddar and spinach, glazed with a homemade sweet, tangy sauce.
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 package frozen chopped spinach , thawed completely and drained well
- 1 small brown onion , finely chopped
- 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 Tablespoons grated cheddar cheese
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- 2 Tablespoons oil
- 2 Tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 6 Tablespoons ketchup
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 Pinch dried parsley , for garnish (if desired)
Preheat oven to 325°F.
In large bowl, combine ground beef, thawed and *drained spinach* (see note), onion, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and grated cheddar. (*Note: Make sure the spinach is drained very well. Press the spinach between paper towels to absorb a lot of water!) Completely combine ingredients.
Using both hands, roll/shape meat into 2" balls (make approx. 15). Set meatballs onto non-stick paper or foil while making the rest.
In a large non-stick skillet, heat oil on medium-high. When hot, add meatballs. Don't move them the first couple of minutes (so they won't break apart). Brown all sides (but do not cook all the way through). Remove them to paper towels to drain. Place flour in a small bowl. Gently roll each meatball in flour. Once covered on all sides with flour, place them in an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish. Set aside.
Make The BBQ Sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine vinegar, mustard, butter, ketchup, and brown sugar. Simmer 2-3 minutes on low heat until butter melts and ingredients are combined. Pour sauce over the top of meatballs (spoon it up to cover them all).
Bake uncovered, at 325°F for 45-50 minutes. When done, transfer pan to wire rack. To serve, place meatballs on top of steamed rice (if using); spoon sauce from pan over top. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Enjoy!
If you want to make more than 15 meatballs, use 2 pounds of hamburger meat. Everything else in the recipe remains the same. You should be able to get about 20 meatballs this way. A serving size is 3-4 meatballs.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!