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!
This post contains affiliate links.
I made these for a work party and they were good! The only suggestion that I have is to keep them on WARM in the crockpot, not LOW! Because this was a work party and I wasn’t able to be in the area, the started to over cook and even burn. I should actually have known better because LOW is a cooking setting.
Should be 10 stars!! Didn’t have rice vinegar. Used apple cider vinegar, Don’t think it affected the wonderful taste. Made in one inch balls. Excellent change up from other appetizer meatballs. Also made it for dinner with rice pilaf and a green vegetable. Definitely a keeper.
Very easy to make and outstanding flavours!
Made half the recipe except kept full amount of garlic in the meatballs and sauce. I used fresh grated ginger and only squeeze the liquid and discard the pith. Used 1 tsp ginger liquid for the meat and 2 tsp liquid ginger for the sauce. The ginger was enough to add a spicy heat to the sauce. We love intense flavors so this might be too strong for most palates. Served as an appetizer in footed glass dishes, 3 per bowl with sesame and fresh cut chives. Big hit! Will be making again.
Eight years later and people are still commenting (like me!). These meatballs turned out fantastic! I used everything bagel seasoning since I didn’t have straight sesame seeds which was a fun additional flavor, and added siracha as a condiment for some spice. Will definitely make again!
These were a hit with everyone. Made them once for a large function and am making again for another function. I presented as picture so very pleasing to the eye
Is there any salt in the meat mixture? I’ll be making these today! Can’t wait!
If I make the meatballs the day before for a potluck, and put them in a crockpot for a potluck at work, how long can they stay on a low setting so the don’t burn? I’ve had sauces burn in my crockpot before and I don’t want the meatballs to dry out. Let me know, thanks!
Amazing! For a healthier option I made the meatballs with no sauce and substituted your chimichurri recipe as a dipping sauce instead. Yum.
I’ve made these before and they were absolutely delish! Just wondering if you’ve ever made the meatballs the day before and then rehested the following day in the sauce?
Delicious! The only thing I changed was that I added a small amount of hoisin sauce to the meatball mixture. These are really great as left overs too!