I’ve never been much of a meatball person.
What a way to start off a recipe on meatballs?! I should start a blog… 😉
Anyways, hear me out.
I never liked meatballs much until this restaurant in Omaha opened called, ‘The Meatball’.
It was there that I realized meatballs didn’t have to be boring and make me think of mini meatloaves. (side note: I still can’t stand meatloaf. I don’t believe a restaurant named, ‘The Meatloaf’ could even change my perspective.)
Because of ‘The Meatball,’ I’ve started experimenting with different ingredients and sauces and, let me tell you, these meatballs are so full of flavor and so different from your typical meatball supper.
You. are. going. to. love. them. Even if you’re generally not a meatball person. 🙂
Ingredients | Meatballs
1 lb. 93/7 ground beef
1 egg, whisked before adding
1/4 C oatmeal
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c (1/4 of a yellow onion), chopped very small
1 small jalapeño, chopped very small
1/4 c (1/4 of a red bell pepper), chopped very small
1 tsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp soy sauce
Salt and pepper
For topping: sesame seeds & green onions, optional
Ingredients | Sauce
2 Tbsp hoisin
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 soy sauce
3 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ginger
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp cold water
Ingredients | Vegetables
1 red bell pepper, plus the remaining part of the pepper used in the meatballs, cut into 1 inch sized pieces
Remaining onion from the meat balls, cut into 1 inch sized pieces
1 bag brussels sprouts, halved
8 oz. carton of sliced mushrooms
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Add all meatball ingredients to a large bowl and mix with our hands just until all ingredients are incorporated evenly. With your hands, make the mixture into approximately 12-14 balls. Depending on how large you want the meatballs. You can make them any size you like, just keep in mind that the length of time they will need to bake in the oven will increase as they increase in size.
Spray an 8×8 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Place the meat balls in the dish.
On a large sheet pan lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray, place all the vegetables. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with seasonings. Use your hands to mix and coat all vegetables evenly. Spread vegetables out evenly on the pan.
Place the meatballs and vegetables in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, flipping each meatball and the vegetables halfway through the cooking time.
While the meatballs and vegetables bake, prep the sauce.
To a small sauce pan, add all sauce ingredients except the cornstarch and water. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally. While bringing up to a simmer, in a small cup or bowl, mix together the cornstarch and cold water.
Once the sauce is simmering, add in the cornstarch mixture, whisking quickly as its added. Allow the sauce to simmer until thickened slightly, then remove from heat.
Once the meatballs and vegetables are done, remove them from the juices in the pan. In a large bowl, add meatballs and sauce and toss carefully to coat. When serving with the vegetables, sprinkle meatballs with sesame seeds and green onions, if desired.
Don’t forget to tag me on your Instagram or Facebook stories when you make them!