Beer Cheese Meatballs
A super cheesy flavorful Meatball appetizer.
Here in Minnesota, Meatballs are kind of a staple when it comes to appetizers.
Serving Meatball appetizers to a crowd is easy, if you find a good quality frozen product. I knew I wanted to make some sort of a Cheese sauce for the Meatballs but wasn’t sure what to make. I had been craving Beer Cheese Soup so I decided to change the Beer Cheese Soup into a sauce using all the same flavors. It was the perfect sauce for the Meatballs.
BEER CHEESE MEATBALLS
Ingredients:
- 2 (22 oz.) Bags Frozen Meatballs
- 1 Bottle of Beer
- 2 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 2 (10 3/4 oz.) Cans Cheddar Cheese Soup
- 4 Strips Thick Cut Bacon, diced
- 3/4 Cup Celery, finely diced
- 3/4 Cup Carrots, shredded
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Directions:
1. Add the diced raw Bacon into a medium size saucepan. Cook until done then transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain.
2. Reserve about 2 Tablespoons of the Bacon drippings in the pan.
3. Add the Carrots and Celery to the pan with the Bacon drippings and cook until they are tender.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Beer, 2-cans of Soup, Cheddar Cheese, Bacon and the Garlic. Give your Pepper mill a few good turns over all, then stir together the ingredients once again.
5. Put the frozen Meatballs in your slow cooker, and pour the Beer Cheese sauce over all. Turn the slow cooker on high for 2-3 hours. Timing can be tricky here. The older slow cookers/crock pots cook at a lower temperature. The government mandated that these types of cookers needed to cook the food at a higher temperature to ensure your food was safe to eat so the newer models cook your food faster. So with that said, I have a newer slow cooker and I cooked my Meatballs on low for 3-4 hours and they were done. I guess you really have to know your slow cooker and certainly check the meatballs with your meat thermometer to see if they are heated all the way through. Remember these Meatballs are already cooked so no worries there, you however do not want to serve Meatballs with a cold center.
6. Occasionally stir the Meatballs to ensure the sauce is evenly distributed and that the Cheese sauce is melting throughout. Once they are ready, transfer them to a serving bowl or serve them directly from your slow cooker and keep the temp on warm.
Recipe by Hot Dish Homemaker
