Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs

These cheeseburger meatballs have been top of Randal's list of meals for me to make for a while.  I finally got around to making them and I am glad I did, they really do taste like a cheeseburger and we loved them, so did the 3 year old I watch, she ran off with my leftovers the next day.  Randal decided to top some with some sliced cheese to make them even more cheeseburger like, and I actually think we preferred them that way!

1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
6 slices bacon, chopped
3 tbsp dill pickles, chopped
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, cubed
1/2 cup panko

Preheat oven to 425.

Fry the bacon until crisp, remove from pan and set aside. Add the onion to the pan with the bacon fat and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.  Add the garlic, cook for another minute, remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, add the ground beef, egg, mustard, ketchup, pickles, salt and pepper, mix together.  Add in the cooled onion, the cooked bacon, cheese and panko, mix together and form into meatballs and place on a baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes, until browned and cooked through.