My favorite meatball recipe made with a little seasonal twist! These deliciously moist meatballs are baked in the oven and then coated with a tangy bbq sauce that’s loaded with all your favorite fall and winter flavors!
I don’t know about you all, but meatballs are my absolute favorite appetizer to bring to a party! They’re hearty, delicious and let’s not forget – incredibly easy to make! Now it’s true, you can go out and buy frozen meatballs put them in some store bought sauce and call it a day… (But what fun is that?!) OR you can make your own meatballs from scratch, doctor up that store bought sauce and be the talk of the entire party! I’ll let you decide for yourself. But me? I choose the latter. Which is why I’ll be making these pumpkin bbq meatballs every single time!
What are the ingredients?
First things first babes, the ingredients! (Which I’m pretty sure you already have most of these in your house already. 😉 ) But all this recipe requires is:
- Ground turkey
- Canned pumpkin
- Panko bread crumbs (You can replace this with regular bread crumbs but I’ve found that the Panko really adds to the moistness of these balls. 🙂 )
- Onion
- Eggs
- Water
- Cinnamon
- Salt & pepper
How do I make pumpkin bbq sauce?
Don’t worry loves, as much as I love making things from scratch I’m definitely NOT about to throw some crazy bbq sauce recipe at you! Instead you’ll just need three ingredients to make this sweet and spicy sauce!
- Bottled bbq sauce (You can use your favorite here. But keep in mind that the taste of the sauce will change depending on the kind of bbq sauce you use. I used Stubb’s Smokey Mesquite sauce for this recipe.)
- Canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- Cinnamon
That’s it! Just mix these ingredients in abowl and you’ve got yourself a festive holiday bbq sauce!
Can I make these meatballs ahead of time?
Absolutely! I do this all the time. You can easily cook the meatballs a day or so before and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to eat. (Or ready to party! 😉 ) Then simply take them out, mix up the sauce and put them both in a crock pot or slow cooker and turn it on to warm until they’re fully heated through.
How do I serve bbq meatballs for a party?
The reason I love taking meatballs to an appetizer party is because you can literally serve them in the crock pot you bring them in. I’ve tried it before where I take them out of the pot and set them up all cute on display. But the truth of the matter is, they get cold really really fast. And np one likes munching on cold balls. So just keep them in the crock pot and set it to warm and you should be good to go.
What if I want to serve these bbq meatballs as a meal? What else do I serve them with?
This is another thing my family does all the time! Not only are these great for parties, but they also make a fantastic dinner or meal prepped lunch too! Below are a few side dishes that pair amazingly well with these meatballs:
- Citrus and pomegranate kale salad
- Roasted asparagus
- Mashed potatoes/mashed sweet potatoes
- Roasted butternut squash
- Sauteed green beans and onions
- Corn on the cob
The possibilities are endless here but these are just a few of our favorites. If you find any other sides that you absolutely love with them, please let me know!
I just know that you’re all going to love these pumpkin bbq meatballs just as much as we do!
[Made one of my recipes? Make sure to tag my social media @kalefornia_kravings – I love seeing what you create!]
Pumpkin BBQ Meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 2 lbs. ground turkey
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs* (can replace with gluten free bread crumbs)
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 2 eggs
- 4 Tbsps water
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
For the sauce:
- 1 cup bbq sauce
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
To make the sauce:
- Place all sauce ingredients in a pot on the stove. Mix and heat over medium low heat until it's warm.
To make the meatballs:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl with your hands. Form it into 1 inch sized balls and place them on the baking sheet.
- Bake meatballs for 25 minutes. Once done, place the meatballs in a bowl and pour the bbq sauce over them until they're completely coated.
- *Crock Pot Option: Once the meatballs are done baking, place them in a crock pot and pour the sauce over them. Turn the crock pot on to "keep warm" and leave the in there until you're ready to eat.
These look so good! Definitely bringing to the next party I go to!
Yayyy! I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!