These Light Bacon Cheeseburger Inspired Meatballs take all of your favorite bacon cheeseburger flavors and turn them into an easy to make and bake meatball. The extra lean ground beef and fat free cheddar help make this a lighter option than a traditional burger. These meatballs are a family friendly dinner option or a great meal prep. You can serve them on a slider bun, over a salad or in a bowl with French fries and a veggie.
What you’ll need to make Light Bacon Cheeseburger Inspired Meatballs
- 95/5 extra lean ground beef
- fully cooked bacon
- This is a great shortcut. It takes out the process of having to take time to cook the bacon before making the meatballs.
- egg
- ketchup
- dehydrated minced onions
- garlic powder
- ground mustard powder
- kosher salt
- fat free cheddar
- I like to use Kraft fat free cheddar.
- You can use reduced or full fat cheese if you prefer, just make sure you adjust the macros and points accordingly.
How to make these Light Bacon Cheeseburger Inspired Meatballs
To make these meatballs, start out by preheating the oven to 350F.
While you are preheating the oven you are going to want to chop the bacon into smaller pieces. Since these are small meatballs, you’ll want to make the pieces relatively small so they are easy to incorporate.
In a mixing bowl you are going to combine the ground beef with the bacon, egg, ketchup, onion, garlic powder, ground mustard, kosher salt and cheddar. The easiest way to do this is by using your hands. You want to work the meat mixture until all of the ingredients are completely combined. Once all of the ingredients are combined well, form the mixture into 12 equal sized meatballs.
Spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and add the formed meatballs into each muffin pan. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes or until cooked through.
Other lightened-up meatball recipes
Meatballs are always a crowd pleasing favorite. Here are some other lightened up meatball recipes to try.
Healthy BBQ Meatloaf Meatballs: a new spin on the classic meatloaf. A sure way to get your kids to eat meatloaf.
Skinny Florentine Chicken Meatballs in Pan Sauce: these are a great, elevated version of a meatball; think: chicken piccata becomes a meatball! Perfect for a weeknight dinner that feels a little fancy.
Buffalo Ranch Chicken Meatballs: these make an excellent meal prep on top of a salad, or the perfect game day appetizer when dipped in ranch.
Italian Beef Meatballs: these are a classic staple. Italian meatballs served in marinara sauce, with pasta or on a meatball sub.
Asian Glazed Turkey Meatballs: these make another great meal prep option or light dinner option, with some brown rice or cauliflower rice and a side veggie. You won’t believe these are made with ground turkey!
What to serve with these meatballs
You can serve these meatballs so many different ways to suit your family’s preference. You could mimic a traditional burger and serve them on slider buns and all the fixings for a kid approved dinner. My special sauce for burgers would be a great addition to the sliders. If you don’t want to use a bun, but still want the feel of a traditional burger, serve them in a bowl with french fries and a veggie. If you like the idea of a burger but are wanting to go extra light, serving these meatballs over a salad would be perfect.

Light Bacon Cheeseburger Inspired Meatballs
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- muffin pan
Ingredients
- 1 lb 95/5 extra lean ground beef
- 6 slices bacon, fully cooked
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp dehydrated minced onions
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground mustard powder
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ½ c shredded fat free cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Chop the bacon into smaller pieces.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the lean ground beef with the bacon, egg, ketchup, onion, garlic powder, ground mustard, kosher salt and cheddar. Combine thoroughly then form into 12 equal sized meatballs.
- Spray muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and add the formed meatballs into each muffin pan.
- Bake at 350℉ for 25 minutes or until cooked through.
Looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it. What would you serve as sides?
Delicious. So easy and perfect for a weeknight dinner!
Any specific reason you cook these in a muffin tin?
Delicious!
Fast & Easy meal