Description
These Saucy Asian Meatballs are a flavorful and easy-to-make appetizer or main dish featuring tender pork or beef meatballs baked to perfection and coated in a savory, tangy hoisin-based sauce. With hints of sesame, ginger, and garlic, these meatballs bring delicious Asian-inspired flavors to your table in just 22 minutes.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 pounds ground pork or ground beef
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 cup Panko or breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 large eggs
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
Sauce
- 2/3 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
Optional Garnish
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Sliced scallions
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) to prepare for baking the meatballs.
- Prepare Meatballs: In a large bowl, combine the ground pork or beef with sesame oil, Panko breadcrumbs, ground ginger, eggs, minced garlic, and sliced green onions. Mix thoroughly until the mixture is well-combined. Shape the mixture into approximately 1.5-inch balls; this should yield about 35 meatballs. Place the shaped meatballs on a greased baking sheet or in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Bake Meatballs: Bake the meatballs in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the meatballs are golden on the outside and fully cooked inside with no pink remaining.
- Prepare Sauce: While the meatballs are baking, whisk together the hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, minced garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and ground ginger in a bowl until well combined.
- Coat Meatballs: Once the meatballs are done baking, either dip each meatball individually into the sauce using a toothpick or pour the sauce over all the meatballs and gently stir to coat them evenly.
- Serve and Garnish: Serve the meatballs warm, garnished with toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions if desired.
Notes
- Using either ground pork or beef works well; pork delivers a slightly sweeter flavor while beef offers a richer taste.
- Adjust the size of the meatballs according to preference, but keep in mind baking time may vary.
- For a gluten-free option, substitute Panko breadcrumbs with gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- You can prepare the sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge for convenience.
- These meatballs can be served as an appetizer, party snack, or main course alongside rice or noodles.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Asian
