Cheeseburger Meatball Salad

These extra-cheesy meatballs are the centerpiece of a terrifically easy salad that offers all the flavors of your favorite cheeseburger (without the carbs!). But you should also consider making them an appetizer—skewer the meatballs with half a cherry tomato, a ruffle of lettuce and perhaps a dill pickle chip. Served with the sauce on the side for dipping, they’ll disappear in an instant.

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

1 pound ground beef
1 (6-ounce) package Applegate Naturals ^® Shredded Cheddar Cheese
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:

¼ cup grapeseed or olive oil
3 tablespoons kosher dill pickling juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons ketchup
Pinch of cayenne
Pinch of kosher salt

For the salad:

1 head romaine lettuce, leaves separated
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
½ small red onion, thinly sliced

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
To make the meatballs, combine the ground beef, cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and mix with your hands until well combined. Shape the mixture into 24 meatballs and arrange on the baking sheet.
Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until very well combined (alternatively, combine all the ingredients in a jar, seal and shake until combined).
To serve, arrange the lettuce, cherry tomatoes and onions on a large platter and top with the meatballs. Serve with the sauce.