Anyone looking for a fun new appetizer (or even main course!) for the big game this week?
These saucy sesame meatballs are some of my favorites!!!
I first made them a few months ago when I was experimenting with multiple meatball recipes to serve for a fundraiser. And when my friends graciously “helped me out” with some taste testing, these little guys were the clear winner! My friend’s 1-yr-old son was even crazy about them as well. ;)
Definitely easy, quick, and bursting with yummy flavor. And everyone commented on how they’re a nice twist from traditional marinara meatballs. Give them a try!
Saucy Sesame Meatballs
You will love this delicious saucy sesame meatballs recipe! It’s so flavorful, saucy, and perfect for game day or as an appetizer for special occasions.
Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. ground pork or ground beef
- 2 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 cup Panko or breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 2 eggs
- 3 tsp. minced garlic
- 1/2 cup thinly-sliced green onions
- optional garnish: toasted sesame seeds, sliced scallions
Sesame Sauce Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- In a large bowl, mix together meatball ingredients until well-combined. Shape into balls (I made mine about 1.5 inches, which yielded about 35 meatballs, but 1 inch is probably standard), and place on a greased baking sheet or in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until meatballs are golden on the outside and no longer pink on the inside.
- While the meatballs are baking, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients until blended. Once meatballs have finished cooking, you can either dip each meatball individually (using a toothpick) in the sauce mixture. Or you can pour the sauce over the meatballs and gently stir them until covered.
- Serve warm, and sprinkle with additional garnish if desired. (I served mine on these cocktail forks.)
Notes
You can also keep these warm (after cooking) in the crockpot on a low setting!
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
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These look beautiful and are easy to prepare. They lacked salt in the meatball itself. An easy fix for a delicious, easy, beautiful appetizer. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks Terra, we’re glad you enjoyed them!
Can you bake these ahead of time, refridge for two days then heat in slow cooker with sauce? Or bake then freeze and heat in a slow cooker with sauce a couple days later? I’d love to make these for Super Bowl Sunday, and am traveling this weekend. Would be able to whip together tomorrow but won’t have much time to prep day of—just curious, thanks!
Hi Kate! Yes, we think either of those things would work fine (we would just make sure you thaw your meatballs before putting them in the slow cooker, if you go the freezer route). We hope you enjoy these! :)
Gonna try the make ahead way for a party this weekend!
can these be made in a crockpot?
Hi Mary! Yes, they can. You just still need to bake them like the recipe instructs. Then mix the sauce and add the sauce and meatballs to your crockpot. Cook on low for about two hours. We hope you enjoy!
I made these for a party as apps, and they were good! I wasn’t sure if you said to use dried ground ginger spice, or fresh ground ginger. I used fresh since I ran out of dried, and it was little extra gingery, but no one complained. My 13 month old daughter loved them!
We’re so glad you and your daughter liked them Suzanne, thanks for giving them a try! :)
Hey,
Can I use Italian breadcrumbs ?
thank you.
John
Hi John, those should work fine we hope you enjoy!
You mention sesame oil. Or could it be toasted sesame oil? The sesame oil has no flavor compared to the toasted. Thanks
Yes, we prefer toasted sesame oil for sure! We hope you enjoy these!
I am wondering if you could use 1lb of pork and 1lb of ground beef and get a good flavor. If not, which tastes better the pork or the beef?
Hi Lisa! Yes, we think you could totally use half and half and get awesome results! If you just do one meat, we’d recommend using the pork, but we think you should totally go for a mixture of the beef and pork! We hope you enjoy! :)
Can you cook these in the crockpot? Want for a party tonight! They look awesome!!!!!
Hi Heidi! You sure could, you just still need to bake them like the recipe instructs. Then mix the sauce and add the sauce and meatballs to your crockpot. Cook on low for about two hours. We hope you enjoy!
Did you use plain or seasoned rice vinegar in the recipe?
Either one will work great Teri, we hope you enjoy these!
It sounds good, but would also work well with ground chicken or maybe even turkey.
Yes, we think it would! :)