Halloween Monster Meatballs
A Halloween appetizer recipe featuring Mediterranean-flavored meatballs made with red peppers, garlic, and a green pepper jelly sauce.
Servings: 25 Meatballs
Calories: 131kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ red bell pepper cored seeded and finely chopped
- ½ red onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp minced Italian parsley
- 1 cup green pepper jelly
- Juice of an orange
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 ¾ tsp of Kosher Salt separated
- ½ cup plain bread crumbs
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 Egg slightly beaten
- 2 pounds 80/20 ground beef
- 2 tablespoons chopped pimento-stuffed green olives
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 12 pimento-stuffed green olives sliced into ¼” rings
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° and have ready two rimmed baking sheets lined with aluminum foil and a crockpot on the warm setting.
- Add olive oil to a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, sauté bell pepper and onion about 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Add the parsley and remove the pan from the heat.
- Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to a large mixing bowl and set the pan aside.
- In the large bowl, add bread crumbs and milk, and stir to combine. Stir in the egg. Then, add in ground beef, chopped olives, orange zest, 1 ½ tsp Kosher salt, pepper, and cloves. Using your hands, mix until all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Roll about 2 tablespoons worth of the beef mixture into a ball and place them at least 1” apart on the baking sheets. Create a fairly deep well in the center of the meatball using your finger. Place an olive slice within the well of each meatball. Bake for 25 minutes.
- While the meatballs are baking, finish the sauce. Return the saucepan to the stovetop over medium heat and add pepper jelly, juice of an orange, tomato paste, vinegar, soy sauce, and a ¼ teaspoon of Kosher salt. Stir until the jelly has melted.
- Once meatballs are cool enough to handle, transfer them to a serving dish, and pour over the jelly mixture. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 131kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 283mg | Potassium: 140mg | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 195IU | Vitamin C: 4.6mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg