Cheesy Cheetos Meatballs

Today’s recipe is pretty silly.

So here’s how it started.  

Earlier this month, the Eat the World theme country was Madagascar.  I jokingly told me kids we should pick something from the movie, knowing full well it doesn’t actually take place in Madagascar.

I decided to go for it anyway and choose it for this month’s Movie’s and Munchies pick.  I actually invited members to choose any of the movies from the Madagascar franchise.

There’s not a ton of food - a birthday cake, lots of steak, some fish.  So I took the steak inspiration from the original and combined it with an element from Penguins of Madagascar: cheese dibbles (puffy cheetos).

Yes, I decided to make cheeto meatballs.  I started with my Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs recipe, and added all sort of cheetos. There are cheetos in the meatballs themselves (taking place of the breadcrumbs) plus a dusting on top.

Ridiculous? Yes.  Delicious? Also yes.  Will I make this again? Probably not, but it sure was fun!

Cheesy Cheetos Meatballs

2 cups Cheetos Puffs 

3 slices bacon, cooked crisp

1 teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon pepper

1 egg

½ cup shredded cheddar

1 pound lean ground beef

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.

Place the puffs into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until fine.  Crumble the bacon into small crumbles.

Place the puffs, bacon, and remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine.  Divide into meatballs and place onto the prepared tray.  Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.  Serve with potatoes and a dusting of cheeto dust.