Bacon-Wrapped Italian Meatballs

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or 175 degrees Celsius, if you prefer). Next, take a rimmed baking sheet and line it with parchment paper to prevent any sticking issues during the cooking process.

In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef with eggs, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, onion powder, salt, black pepper, oregano, and basil. Mix everything together until you have a cohesive mixture that can be formed into 2-inch meatballs.

Now, take your meatball mixture and form it into individual balls. You should end up with 12 meatballs in total.

To add some extra flavor and texture, wrap each meatball with 1 half-slice of bacon. Take one meatball and wrap it with 45 degrees, then take another half-slice of bacon and wrap it around the first meatball to enclose. Repeat this process with the remaining 11 meatballs, making sure each one is wrapped in 2 half-slices of bacon.

Place the meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet, making sure they are seam-side down. This will help prevent any mess during cooking.

Finally, bake the meatballs in the preheated oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until they are no longer pink inside and the bacon is crispy. To check if they're done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of one of the meatballs. If it reads at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit (or 70 degrees Celsius), they're ready to go. Remove the meatballs from the oven and pour off any excess grease before serving.