Lots of ground beef to use right now so I am trying to make different things so the kids don’t realize the meat is the same thing every night.  This recipe for Saucy Asian Meatballs is from Bear With Me at Chef Jenny.com.    I must confess that I followed the recipe just as it was written.  It is not often I do that but for this one I did.

Verdict:

The meatballs themselves were a hit.  We all really liked the flavor and texture of the meatballs.  I was a bit unsure as they had not real binding ingredients that you usually see in meatballs but for a few cracks these held together well.

The sauce is another whole story.  My daughter liked it but you REALLY need to like ginger and hoisin sauce to like the flavor of the sauce.  On the website where I found this recipe she mentions it being too vingegary.  We didn’t have trouble with the vinegar but the ginger?  Wow, spicy.  I ended up throwing the rest of the sauce away because it smelled every time I opened the refrigerator and I could think of nothing else to do with it.

I served the meatballs over a long grain Texmati Rice Mix and with a side of broccoli.

I will try this dish again but I will research for another sauce to put over the meatballs.  Maybe less ginger and hoisin and a bit more soy and some brown sugar.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 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

Asian Sauce:

• 2/3 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. ground ginger

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. In a large bowl, mix together ground beef, sesame oil, ginger, eggs, garlic and green onions until well-combined.
3. Shaped into medium-sized balls, I made about 25 balls,  and place in 9×13 baking dish.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until meatballs are golden on the outside and no longer pink on the inside.
5. While the meatballs are baking, whisk together all the sauce ingredients until blended.   Serve warm with sauce drizzled over meatballs, sprinkle with additional garnish if desired.