- 2 slices bread, crusts removed, torn into pieces
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/4 cup grated sweet onion
- 1 cup barbecue sauce, plus additional for serving
- Animal Cut-Outs:
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 orange bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 4 (1/4-inch) slices Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
- 4 (1/4-inch) slices mild Cheddar cheese
- Animal vegetable cutters
- 25 4-inch toothpicks
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Soak pieces of torn bread in the milk in a bowl for 5 minutes. Gently squeeze out milk. Add beaten egg to the soaked bread and mix well.
- Mix garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, salt, Italian herb seasoning, sugar, and Parmesan cheese together in a small bowl. Add to bread-egg mixture.
- Place ground beef in a mixing bowl. Add seasoning mixture and onions; mix together with a fork. If mixture is too dry, add up to a tablespoon of milk. Roll into 25 meatballs and arrange on rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake in preheated oven until browned and cooked through, about 18 minutes.
- Drain meatballs on a paper towel. Remove grease from the baking sheet. Transfer meatballs back to the baking sheet. Drizzle 1 cup BBQ sauce over meatballs.
- Return sheet to oven and bake 12 more minutes.
- Use a small animal vegetable cutter to make animals out of green, orange, and red peppers. Cut animals out of Colby Jack and mild Cheddar cheese.
- Drain meatballs on a paper towel and add more BBQ sauce if desired. Add cheese animal cut-out and then animal pepper cut-out to the toothpicks. Work quickly to add toothpick to each meatball.