It’s officially cozy comfort food time! These BBQ Meatballs with Cheese Grits are the perfect mix of tangy BBQ sauce, juicy meatballs, and rich and creamy cheese grits to create all those cozy vibes. And if you’ve never had cheese grits before, definitely go check out my cheese grits blog post because they’re a delicious southern staple that can be topped with all sorts of delicious goodies. And today’s delicious goodies are BBQ meatballs. ;)
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What to Serve with BBQ Meatballs and Cheese Grits
This is a pretty rich bowl of deliciousness on its own, so I highly suggest pairing it with something green to balance out the weight of the meal. I paired my BBQ Meatballs and Cheese Grits with Jerk Seasoned Collard Greens. The jerk seasoning pairs perfectly with the tangy BBQ sauce. You could also pair this dish with Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Vegetarian Mustard Greens, or Braised Red Cabbage.
Can I Use a Different Meat?
Yes, if you do not eat pork you can definitely substitute with a different type of ground meat. Ground beef or turkey will both work great for this recipe. I highly suggest using ground meat that has a slightly higher percent fat to keep the meatballs moist and tender.
What Kind of BBQ Sauce Do you Suggest?
I’m an equal opportunity BBQ sauce lover, so I don’t really have a favorite. For this particular dish, I’d probably go for something smoky or honey flavored, both of which will pair well with the cheddar cheese in the grits. I would probably avoid anything pineapple or teriyaki flavored.
If you want to try making your own BBQ sauce, check out my Homemade BBQ Sauce recipe.
BBQ Meatballs with Cheese Grits
Servings 4Ingredients
BBQ Meatballs
- 1 lb. ground pork ($3.49)
- 1 large egg ($0.21)
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs ($0.07)
- 1 cup BBQ sauce, divided ($0.54)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
Cheese Grits
- 2 cups chicken broth ($0.26)
- 2 cups milk ($1.25)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1 cup quick cooking grits ($0.49)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.18)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar ($1.15)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the ground pork, egg, breadcrumbs, 2 Tbsp BBQ sauce, salt, smoked paprika, and garlic powder to a bowl. Use your hands to mix the seasoning into the pork until everything is well combined.
- Divide and shape the pork mixture into 16 meatballs about the size of ping pong balls. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet.
- Transfer the meatballs to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.
- While the meatballs are baking, prepare the cheese grits. Combine the chicken broth, milk, and garlic powder in a medium saucepot. Place a lid on top and bring it up to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the milk from scorching.
- Once boiling, stir in the quick cooking grits and salt. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let the grits simmer for about 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the grits from the heat and stir in the butter and pepper. Next, stir in the shredded cheddar, one handful at a time, until fully melted into the grits.
- Once the meatballs have finished baking, add them to a clean bowl and pour the remaining BBQ sauce over top. Stir to combine. The heat from the meatballs will warm the BBQ sauce. If your BBQ sauce is cold from refrigeration, you may want to heat the meatballs and sauce in a saucepot over low for a few minutes.
- To serve, place about one cup of the cheese grits in the bottom of a bowl. Top with four meatballs and some of the BBQ sauce. Enjoy!
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Nutrition
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How to Make BBQ Meatballs with Cheese Grits – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 375ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add 1 lb. ground pork, 1 large egg, ¼ cup breadcrumbs, 2 Tbsp BBQ sauce, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp smoked paprika, and ¼ tsp freshly cracked pepper to a large bowl. Mix the ingredients together until well combined.
Divide and shape the pork mixture into 16 meatballs roughly the size of ping pong balls. Transfer the meatballs to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until browned and cooked through.
While the meatballs are baking, prepare the cheese grits. Add 2 cups chicken broth, 2 cups milk, and ¼ tsp garlic powder to a medium sauce pot. Bring the liquid up to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
As soon as the liquid reaches a boil, stir in 1 cup quick cooking grits and ¼ tsp salt. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let the grits simmer for about five minutes, or until thickened.
Remove the grits from the heat and stir in 2 Tbsp butter and ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper.
Finally, stir in a handful of the shredded cheddar at a time until fully melted, repeating until all of the cheese has been added (1 cup total).
Remove the baked meatballs from the oven and transfer them to a large bowl.
Pour the remaining BBQ sauce (about 1 cup) over the meatballs and stir to combine. The heat from the meatballs will warm the BBQ sauce. If your BBQ sauce was cold from refrigeration, you may want to do this in a sauce pot over low heat to help heat the sauce.
To serve, place about 1 cup cheese grits in a bowl and top with 4 meatballs plus some of the sauce. Enjoy!
This was so easy, delicious and satisfying!
This is a weekly staple in our house as my 13 year old loves the meatballs (and he’s pretty picky)! I use ground beef, and leave out the egg because he’s allergic to it, and they’re amazing.
I love grits but usually make them with water. Turns out the correct way to make them is with milk and chicken broth. Omg this is SO GOOD
I used ground turkey, and they turned out great! I did use a thermometer to check for doneness just in case. The grits are rich and creamy. My hubby loved this combo. A winner!
I made this with impossible meat! Seriously life changing so many intermixing flavors. Served with sauteed bok choy because there has been a weather/pandemic run on groceries near me!
The flavors in this dish are amazing! My two year old gobbled it and said “tasty” and I can’t get him to eat much of anything these days so I will be making this weekly! Thank you BB team
I only made the meatballs because I had ground pork. These were a hit. I didn’t add as much bbq but they are delish!
Is it OK to use polenta instead of grits? My store doesn’t seem to carry them.
I’m sure you could probably do something similar with polenta. :)
I’m from the Midwest and never had grits until I read this blog, now I LOVE them. I served with sautéed beet greens leftover from another recipe. I didn’t need to use that much BBQ sauce to coat them at the end (maybe 1/4 cup), so just eyeball it.
The BBQ Pork Meatballs with Cheesy Grits is the bomb dot com! I wind up making 28 meatballs because I wanted some leftovers to hold my sister and me for a few days. My house smelled amazing as the meatballs were baking in the oven. We served this dish with some sautéed frozen spinach. Thank you so much for sharing, Miss Beth! My sister and I will be making this very delicious dish again!
Easy and Yummy!
So easy and flavorful!
For some reason my pork wasn’t that delicious. I’m guessing it’s the type of bbq sauce I used unless bbq sauce and grits wasn’t my cup of tea. But I will say the grits portion is amazing! I even grated my own cheddar so make sure it really had a good taste and melt factor. Yum!
I made a vegan version of this and it was outstanding! My daughter actually took her finger and went around her bowl to make sure she got all of the grits that were left behind from eating with a spoon.
I made this two nights ago. The family agreed it was a keeper. I used turkey instead of pork, and polenta instead of grits. I sauteed a bunch of spinach to go with.