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Bacon Wrapped BBQ Meatloaf Bombs are a delicious recipe that takes a meatball and surrounds it with an onion seal, which is then wrapped with slices of bacon, and then covered with a tangy barbecue sauce. The end result is an explosion of flavor in a hearty meal that you’ll want to keep in your dinner rotation.
This healthy dinner recipe can be cooked in the Instant Pot, slow cooker, or in the oven. It’s a 21 Day Fix and Weight Watchers friendly meal thanks to the homemade barbecue sauce and lean meat.
Where’s the recipe?
Here at My Crazy Good Life we have readers of all experience levels in the kitchen. To better serve everyone here I like to provide lots of helpful information. In this post you’ll find ingredient information, different cooking techniques, and tips and tricks to get the best results possible.
If you would like to skip past that and get straight to cooking, simply scroll to the bottom of the page to find our easy to print recipe card for meatloaf stuffed onion bombs.
Ingredients in Bacon Wrapped BBQ Meatloaf Bombs
Healthy BBQ Sauce Ingredients
- Tomato paste: tomato paste is the base of this bbq sauce recipe.
- Water: you will need just a little bit of water to thin the sauce.
- Honey: no refined sugar here. This healthy barbecue sauce uses honey as its sweetener.
- Apple cider vinegar: ACV adds a wonderful tanginess to the bbq sauce.
- Hot sauce: we like to add hot sauce for a little heat, but feel free to omit this ingredient if you’re looking for milder results.
- Smoked paprika: smoked paprika gives this barbecue sauce a nice smokey flavor.
- Coconut aminos: coconut aminos is a healthy soy sauce alternative. If you can’t find aminos, low sodium soy sauce or tamari will work.
- Minced garlic: fresh garlic is best but you can use garlic powder if that’s all you have on hand.
- Cumin: a little cumin goes a long way and can really help enhance the flavors of this sauce.
- Mustard: Dijon mustard or yellow mustard work well in this bbq sauce.
Meatloaf Meatballs Ingredients
- Ground turkey: use ground turkey to keep calories, containers or points low. If you’re not following any of these healthy eating plans you can use ground beef to make your meatloaf bomb.
- Bacon: the nutrition facts and containers/points are calculated using turkey bacon. Feel free to use traditional bacon if you prefer, just be sure to adjust the calculations if you keep track.
- Oregano: I use dried oregano in this meatball mixture.
- Coconut aminos: see above- I love using coconut aminos in place of soy sauce.
- Egg: the addition of a large egg to the meatloaf mixture adds moisture and helps bind everything together.
- Onions: yellow onions or white onions work great in this recipe.
- Salt and pepper: optional, to taste.
Make Bacon Wrapped BBQ Meatloaf Bombs in the Oven
- In a medium sized bowl mix together all the BBQ sauce ingredients.
- Next cut the ends off of your onions, then make a slit halfway to the center of the onions and remove the soft outer layers. Peel and separate the onion layers. You will need 8 larger rings of onions.
- In a large bowl combine all of the meatball ingredients. Using a red container (or a 3/4 cup measuring cup) measure and form your meatballs. Place the meatballs in the onion shells, and then take 2 slices of bacon and wrap them around your onion bombs.
- Arrange the meatballs on a baking dish or baking sheet lined with parchment paper, smother each meatball with sauce, and then cover with foil. Cook for 40 minutes at 425 degrees f.
- When the cooking time is done, remove the bacon bombs and serve with any extra sauce you have.
Make Bacon Wrapped BBQ Meatloaf Bombs in the Instant Pot
- In a medium sized bowl mix together all the BBQ sauce ingredients.
- Next cut the ends off of your onions, then make a slit halfway to the center of the onions and remove the soft outer layers. Peel and separate the onion layers. You will need 8 larger rings of onions.
- In a large bowl combine all of the meatball ingredients. Using a red container (or a 3/4 cup measuring cup) measure and form your meatballs. Place the meatballs in the onion shells, and then take 2 slices bacon and bacon wrap your onion bombs.
- Arrange the bacon wrapped BBQ meatloaf bombs in a stackable steaming rack, four meatballs on each layer. Smother each meatball with sauce and then close the steaming container.
- Add 2 cups of water to the bottom of the Instant Pot insert and the trivet. Place the steaming rack on top of the trivet and then close the Instant Pot lid, turning the pressure valve to sealing.
- Using the manual setting, cook the meatballs on high pressure for 15-18 minutes (I did 15). When the cook time is done, let the pressure release naturally (about 8 minutes). Remove the steaming rack from the Instant Pot and serve the meatballs topped with any extra sauce you have.
Make Bacon Wrapped BBQ Meatloaf Bombs in the Slow Cooker
- In a medium sized bowl mix together all the BBQ sauce ingredients.
- Next cut the ends off of your onions, then make a slit halfway to the center of the onions and remove the soft outer layers. Peel and separate the onion layers. You will need 8 larger rings of onions.
- Combine all the meatball ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Using a red container (or a 3/4 cup measuring cup) measure and form your meatballs. Wrap each meatball in a layer of onion.
- Place onion bombs in your slow cooker, smother each meatball with sauce, and then cover. Cook on high for 3-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
- Remove the bacon bombs and serve with any extra sauce you have.
Recipe Tips
- This onion bomb recipe is perfect for the campfire! Wrap them in foil and cook over an open flame.
Healthy Eating Plans
I used ground turkey and turkey bacon to calculate the containers and points for this recipe.
21 Day Fix
Containers for 1 serving (makes 8 servings): 1 3/4 Red Container, 1/4 Green Container, 1.5 teaspoon for sweetener from the BBQ Sauce
Weight Watchers
2023 Plan: 5 Points
Looking for more healthy recipes?
- Healthy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- Air Fryer Ranch Turkey Burger Bombs
- Healthy Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese
- Baked Blooming Onion Rings with Spicy Dipping Sauce
- Pizza Stuffed Peppers
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Bacon Wrapped BBQ Meatloaf Bombs
Approximate Serving Size: 1 onion covered meatloaf
Servings 8
These Bacon Wrapped BBQ Meatloaf Bombs are an easy and healthy dinner that everyone in your family will love!
Equipment
- Instant Pot 6 qt
- Crockpot
Ingredients
BBQ Sauce
- 1 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/8 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp mustard
Meatballs:
- 2 onions ends cut off and separated, medium-large yellow. May need more depending on how many you're making
- 2 lbs ground turkey or ground beef
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos low sodium
- 1 egg
- 16 slices turkey bacon
Instructions
Instant Pot:
- In a medium sized bowl mix together all the BBQ sauce ingredients. 1 cup tomato paste, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp hot sauce, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tbsp coconut aminos, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1/8 tsp cumin, 1 tbsp mustard
- Next cut the ends off of your onions, then make a slit halfway to the center of the onions and remove the soft outer layers. Peel and separate the onion layers. You will need 8 larger rings of onions. 2 onions
- In a large bowl combine all of the meatball ingredients. Using a red container (or a 3/4 cup measuring cup) measure and form your meatballs. Place the meatballs in the onion shells, and then take 2 slices bacon and bacon wrap your onion bombs. 2 lbs ground turkey, 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tbsp coconut aminos, 1 egg, 16 slices turkey bacon
- Arrange the bacon wrapped BBQ meatloaf bombs in a stackable steaming rack, four meatballs on each layer. Smother each meatball with sauce and then close the steaming container.
- Add 2 cups of water to the bottom of the Instant Pot insert and the trivet. Place the steaming rack on top of the trivet and then close the Instant Pot lid, turning the pressure valve to sealing.
- Using the manual setting, cook the meatballs on high pressure for 15-18 minutes (I did 15). When the cook time is done, let the pressure release naturally (about 8 minutes). Remove the steaming rack from the Instant Pot and serve the meatballs topped with any extra sauce you have.
Slow cooker:
- In a medium sized bowl mix together all the BBQ sauce ingredients. 1 cup tomato paste, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp hot sauce, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tbsp coconut aminos, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1/8 tsp cumin, 1 tbsp mustard
- Next cut the ends off of your onions, then make a slit halfway to the center of the onions and remove the soft outer layers. Peel and separate the onion layers. You will need 8 larger rings of onions. 2 onions
- Combine all the meatball ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Using a red container (or a 3/4 cup measuring cup) measure and form your meatballs. Wrap each meatball in a layer of onion. 2 lbs ground turkey, 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tbsp coconut aminos, 1 egg, 16 slices turkey bacon
- Place onion bombs in your slow cooker, smother each meatball with sauce, and then cover. Cook on high for 3-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
- Remove the bacon bombs and serve with any extra sauce you have.
Oven:
- In a medium sized bowl mix together all the BBQ sauce ingredients. 1 cup tomato paste, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp hot sauce, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tbsp coconut aminos, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1/8 tsp cumin, 1 tbsp mustard
- Next cut the ends off of your onions, then make a slit halfway to the center of the onions and remove the soft outer layers. Peel and separate the onion layers. You will need 8 larger rings of onions. 2 onions
- In a large bowl combine all of the meatball ingredients. Using a red container (or a 3/4 cup measuring cup) measure and form your meatballs. Place the meatballs in the onion shells, and then take 2 slices bacon and wrap them around your onion bombs. 2 lbs ground turkey, 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tbsp coconut aminos, 1 egg, 16 slices turkey bacon
- Arrange the meatballs on a baking dish or baking sheet lined with parchment paper, smother each meatball with sauce, and then cover with foil. Cook for 40 minutes at 425 degrees F.
- When the cooking time is done, remove the bacon bombs and serve with any extra sauce you have.
Video
Notes
21 Day Fix
makes 8 servings
BBQ Sauce: 1.5 tsp for sweetener
Meatloaf: 1 3/4 red container, 1/4 green container
Weight Watchers
2023 Points: 5 per serving
Calories and Points calculated using lean ground turkey.
Nutrition
Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 19.4g | Protein: 38.8g | Fat: 16.6g | Saturated Fat: 3.3g | Cholesterol: 144mg | Sodium: 285mg | Potassium: 709mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 691IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 4mg
Make This Recipe?
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Hi Becca, I’m going to try this with a few more veggies and some oatmeal to make it a pre or post workout meal for 80 day fix. Thank you for the idea. I am new to instant pot and nevertheless would have thought of meatloaf in there!