Every single flavor you love comes together in these delicious little cheddar bacon ranch meatballs! Simple to make and literally exploding with flavor. The meatballs are garlic-y, onion-y and, of course, ranch-y. They are packed with cheddar, to really give it that cheesy, burger flavor. Then, yes there's more, they are wrapped in bacon! Literally wrapped up in a bacon blanket. It really cannot get any better. Just 30 minutes from start to finish.
Literally EXPLODING with flavor and cheese.
How many WW points is this now?! Click on the link below and it will take you to the recipe I made within your own WW app. Your specific points will be calculated, and you can track that.
How To Reduce Points / Calories
I made this recipe with ground beef. Why? I honestly do like ground beef, chicken is my favorite, but I do like ground beef. But really, the main reason, was because my husband begged me to feed him some ground beef. Aren't they dramatic. There is a time and a place for beef, and I think this is a good one, but this would also taste amazing with ground chicken breast. Using ground chicken breast, my points would be 2 points for 3 meatballs.
I wrapped this the meatballs in bacon. In full fat bacon. You can sub turkey bacon and that would taste really good. Just make sure the turkey is FULLY cooked. Another idea is to skip the wrapped bacon and put some reduced fat bacon crumbs inside the meatballs. Alternatively, skip the bacon if you do not like or want it.
What Do You Need To Make Cheddar Bacon Ranch Meatballs
To actual cook the meatballs, you need an oven. The idea of cooking then in the air fryer was tempting, and could be possible, but I am not a huge fan of crispy bacon. If you are, trying cooking them in the air fryer or finish them off in the air fryer.
Ingredients Needed:
- Ground beef
- Seasonings
- Cheddar cheese
- Bacon
- Brown sugar replacement
Pretty simple, not too complicated. Nothing crazy needed. Just like usual.
I made this recipe with ground beef. Why? I honestly do like ground beef, chicken is my favorite, but I do like ground beef. But really, the main reason, was because my husband begged me to feed him some ground beef. Aren't they dramatic. There is a time and a place for beef, and I think this is a good one, but this would also taste amazing with ground chicken breast. Using ground chicken breast, my points would be 2 points for 3 meatballs.
I wrapped this the meatballs in bacon. In full fat bacon. You can sub turkey bacon and that would taste really good. Just make sure the turkey is FULLY cooked. Another idea is to skip the wrapped bacon and put some reduced fat bacon crumbs inside the meatballs. Alternatively, skip the bacon if you do not like or want it.
I used fat-free shredded cheddar cheese. This used to be more difficult to find, at least for me, but now I see it all the time and I use that. I honestly don't notice a taste difference between that and regular cheddar so why not. You can certainly use low-fat or full-fat or a different type of cheese.
For the seasonings, I used salt, garlic powder, onion powder and, obviously, ranch. Apparently Ranch has a lot of sodium so you can skip the salt if you like, I love sodium. Along with any other recipes, feel free to adjust the seasonings to your liking or add some (ground red pepper if you like it spicy) to your liking.
I added a little brown sugar replacement on top. Hey, I like things sweet. This is completely and totally optional. I think it adds just a little step up to the flavor profile. You can also use regular brown sugar.
How To Make Cheddar Bacon Ranch Meatballs
Of course, start by preheating your oven. Or don't and wait later, whatever. Preheat to 350 degrees and grease a baking tray with cooking spray.
In a bowl, flatten down the ground beef to the bottom of the bowl. Evenly sprinkle on the seasonings and give it a good mix. Use your hands and get a little dirty, it is fun! Once mixed, flatted the ground beef back to the bottom of the bowl. Sprinkle on the cheddar cheese, evenly, over the entire ground beef. I found this method best when using shredded cheese in meatballs, it helps keep everything packaged up nicely and evenly. Looks something like this:
Make 12 equal sized meatballs, about a little more than ⅛ cup each. You can certainly make them smaller or bigger but 12 worked perfectly for the length of my bacon strips. Make them smaller for a party appetizer! Just remember to cook them for less time. Place the meatballs on the greased baking tray as you start to form them.
Once you have the 12 meatballs, start wrapping them in bacon. I use a HALF strip of bacon for each meatballs. Wrap them tightly in the bacon, being sure to tuck the ends under the meatball to keep everything together. It will look something like this:
Once all the meatballs are tucked into their bacon blankets, add a little brown sugar replacement on top, if you wish.
Then bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until cooked. They will be EXPLODING with flavor and cheese! This makes 12 meatballs, 3 per serving.
Want to watch me make these? It can help to visualize! I will link that tutorial below.
Dips to Pair?
What dip should you pair with these? I really loved a BBQ sauce with these. Or my homemade healthy ranch is really good!
Sides to Pair?
What sides should you pair with these? Go for some French fries and brown sugar broccoli! That would go very well.
Let's get to that recipe!
Cheddar Bacon Ranch Meatballs
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon Ranch seasoning
- ¼ cup fat-free shredded cheddar cheese
- 6 slices bacon
- 6 teaspoons brown sugar replacement
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking tray with cooking spray.
- In a bowl, flatten down the ground beef to the bottom of the bowl. Evenly sprinkle on the seasonings and give it a good mix. Once mixed, flatted the ground beef back to the bottom of the bowl. Sprinkle on the cheddar cheese, evenly, over the entire ground beef. I found this method best when using shredded cheese in meatballs, it helps keep everything packaged up nicely and evenly.
- Slice pieces of bacon in half.
- Make 12 equal sized meatballs, about a little more than ⅛ cup each. Place the meatballs on the greased baking tray as you start to form them.
- Once you have the 12 meatballs, start wrapping them in bacon. Use a HALF strip of bacon for each meatballs. Wrap them tightly in the bacon, being sure to tuck the ends under the meatball to keep everything together.
- Sprinkle on a ½ teaspoon of brown sugar replacement to the tops of the bacon, pressing in slightly. You can skip this step if you do not want to add the sugar.
- Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until fully cooked.
Nutrition
