It’s hard to believe, but apparently we’re already in back to school mode. And that means easy dinners that will bring everyone to the table. These Teriyaki Meatballs really fit the bill. A juicy and tender mixture of pork and beef with a yummy teriyaki glaze-what’s not to love? Getting back into the early morning groove can be a struggle, but dinner doesn’t have to be…
First Make the Sauce for Teriyaki Meatballs
This is a super simple sauce, using dependable pantry staples like soy sauce, mirin, and sake. I like my teriyaki sauces to have a balance of sweet and savory. It’s not super sweet. You can adjust the sweetness later on if you find it not sweet enough. Just measure out the ingredients into a cup or bowl and mix well. Done, easy peasy. Then set it aside by the stove while you get the meatballs going.
Make the Teriyaki Meatballs
This is a very straightforward meatball recipe. Just mix everything in a bowl, shape, and cook. No need to over complicate things while we’re getting our bearings in a post summer vacation world. I like to use a combination of pork (for softness) and beef (for flavor), but you could use ground turkey or chicken too.
I use an ice cream scoop to portion out the meatballs but it’s not critical. Once you have them portioned, I like to roll them gently to smooth out the surface. Once the meatballs are shaped, it’s time to cook them. I like to use a nonstick skillet for these but a well seasoned cast iron would work well too.
The “secret” to these luscious meatballs is to sear them for a couple of minutes on the outside and then gently braise them in the sauce to finish cooking them. Searing first gives a nice color and crust to your meatballs. The braise helps to improve juiciness and tenderness, but it also gives the meatballs time to absorb some of the sauce, which packs in more flavor.
Garnish with sesame seeds and minced scallions and the Teriyaki Meatballs are ready to be devoured! We love them over some steamed rice to soak up the delicious sauce, with maybe a simple green vegetable like this broccoli dish to round it out. These would be excellent alongside Spicy Garlic Noodles too.
Make these this week and let me know what you think. Comment on the recipe below and tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen; we love hearing from you!
Teriyaki Meatballs
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 1 Tablespoons sugar
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- ¼ cup mirin
- 1 Tablespoons sake
- 2 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 piece of ginger (the size of a quarter) peeled and smashed
Meatballs:
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 scallions, chopped fine
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tablespoon peeled and minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 Tablespoon neutral oil
Garnish:
- Minced scallions
- Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a cup. Stir to dissolve sugar and set aside.
- Combine the ground pork, ground beef, egg, panko, scallions, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, salt and white pepper in a medium bowl. Mix well.
- Form into 1 ½ Tablespoon meatballs (I used a scoop and yielded 13) and place them onto a plate or baking sheet.
- Heat a large 12” skillet over medium high heat for several minutes.
- Add the oil and swirl to coat the skillet. Add the meatballs to the skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes until browned. Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes to brown the other side.
- Add the sauce to the skillet. Cover the pan with a lid and lower heat to medium low. Cook for 7-9 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through (you can cut into one to check if you’re unsure).
- Transfer the meatballs to a serving dish. Raise the heat to medium high and reduce the sauce for 1-2 minutes until syrupy. Pour the sauce over the meatballs.
- Garnish teriyaki meatballs with scallion and sesame seeds, and serve immediately.
Keywords: meatballs, back to school, japanese, teriyaki
