I make them with ground beef, but this recipe works beautifully with ground pork, too.
These meatballs are the best! They combine the fun of eating meatballs with the extra fun of a sweet, sticky sauce. My kids adore them and love helping me make them.
But just as importantly, the grownups love them too! The meatballs themselves are very well seasoned - their flavor is quite complex, and the Asian-style glaze greatly enhances them.
Ingredients
Instructions
Recipe Card
Ground beef: I like to use lean ground beef in this recipe (85/15). I find that ground beef that is leaner tends to be too dry. Cilantro: If you dislike cilantro, you can use parsley instead. Though it really does add a unique flavor to the meat. Garlic and ginger: You can mince them yourself, which would be the best option. But it’s also fine to use the stuff that comes in a jar. Red pepper flakes: They don’t make the meatballs very spicy. They merely add a hint of spice. Soy sauce: I use reduced-sodium soy sauce in most of my recipes. If you need this recipe to be gluten-free, you can use a gluten-free alternative. Sesame oil: Toasted sesame oil is very flavorful. If you’d rather avoid heating sesame oil, you can simply omit it. Cornstarch: Just a little to thicken the sauce. Honey: Just one tablespoon. The sauce is not very sweet, and the dish remains fairly low in carbs (about 7 grams per serving). Hot sauce: Just one teaspoon to add a hint of spice without overwhelming the dish.
You start by mixing the meatball ingredients and shaping the mixture into 24 small meatballs. Bake them for 10 minutes in a 400°F oven. Using tongs or a spoon, add the meatballs to the sauce and turn to coat. Serve immediately. It’s fun to eat them with chopsticks! When I serve them over spaghetti squash, I give the entire dish an Asian flavor by cooking spaghetti squash in the microwave and then sauteing the strands in a large skillet. I add a little bit of avocado oil, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, a little black pepper, 1 teaspoon of garlic, 1 teaspoon of ginger, and - off heat - a teaspoon of sesame oil.
