Goodness me. Please hand me a spoon and let me go to town on that sauce. Okay, but seriously, is it too early to start sharing game day recipes with you? I’ve got sticky, sweet, and savory Mongolian beef meatballs on the menu today, and they are just about the most addicting thing to come out of the kitchen. These meatballs are ideal to serve your guests if you’re hosting a party for the big game this year. But also, they work just as well served over a scoop of fluffy rice with steamed broccoli drizzled with a bit of that crazy Mongolian glaze that’s scented with garlic and ginger, and umami-laden with soy. That sauce just hugs the broccoli, coats the rice, and each bite is tender, fluffy, and crunchy perfection.
At this point, you might as well call me the meatball queen. Strangely, in the last six years, I’ve developed a peculiar liking for turning all these classic meals into meatball versions of themselves. There’s cheesesteak meatballs with garlic cheese sauce, chicken piccata meatballs, Greek-style meatballs, Cajun chicken meatballs in cream sauce, General Tso’s Chicken Meatballs, and then there’s by firecracker chicken meatballs that are basically made to be served at your Super Bowl shindig. But I digress, these are not the last meatballs you’ll be seeing from me. Would you judge me if I told you I’ve already got one in the works for February? But these Mongolian beef meatballs will undoubtedly be made on the regular, especially since I can serve them over rice and with veggies on the side and call it a meal or serve them on their own and call them an appetizer!
What do you need to make Mongolian beef meatballs?
I’m using my standard ingredients for these Mongolian meatballs.
panko breadcrumbs an egg minced garlic soy sauce salt red pepper flakes/ white pepper thinly sliced scallions ground beef
How to make Mongolian beef meatballs:
I have a trick that I always share when I share a new meatball recipe, and it works like a charm every time. With all the experimenting I’ve been doing, I’ve also a few more tips along the way!
What if the meatball mixture starts sticking to my hands, any tips?
I didn’t have this problem with this particular recipe, but if you do, you can wash your hands, pat them dry, then spray a little cooking spray on the palms of your hands and rub them together. Then when you go to grab the meat mixture, it should only stick to itself. If you use a cookie scoop to scoop the meat, you shouldn’t have this problem.
What goes in the Mongolian beef meatballs sauce?
water born sugar low sodium soy sauce grated ginger + garlic sesame oil oyster sauce hoisin sauce red pepper flakes + white pepper sesame seeds (for topping)
TIP: It’s essential to use low sodium soy sauce for this recipe as we’re using both oyster sauce and hoisin sauce as well (both ingredients are salt heavy) to it’s crucial to cut back where we can so we aren’t left with an overly salty glaze.
How to make the Mongolian beef meatballs sauce:
I’m thinking about making these for the big game, can I make Mongolian beef meatballs in advance?
I’m so glad you asked, because yes, you can! I would make the meatball portion of this recipe a day in advance, allow them to cool completely and then store them in an airtight container. Allow the meatballs to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before you make the sauce. Before serving, make a batch of the sauce (or a double batch if you like things saucy) and just add the meatballs into the skillet, so they heat through once you’ve made the sauce.
How to serve Mongolian beef meatballs:
Honestly, this is totally up to you! If you’re making these Asian-inspired meatballs for The Big Game, I would say make them as listed, and for every batch you make, double the sauce component, especially if you plan on storing these in a slow cooker on the warm setting – people love sauce! The meatballs are tender and soft, but because we use panko in them, they do soak up quite a bit of that sauce as they sit — moral of the story: when in doubt, MAKE MORE SAUCE. If you’re making these sticky Asian-style meatballs for dinner, you could:
serve them over egg noodles over brown or jasmine rice over quinoa with a salad on the side with roasted or steamed veggies
That first taste of Mongolian beef meatballs is loaded with sticky, sweet and salty soy-glazed sauce, the meatballs are tender and light, and they practically fall apart in your mouth if you use the simple tips I’ve provided. So good they could make a grown woman (or man) cry!
if you’re making these for a party and would like to store them, I suggest doubling the batch of sauce (meatballs soak up quite a bit as they sit.) And placing them in a slow cooker on the ‘warm’ setting. the sauce does thicken naturally as it sits, so if you prepare this early on, you may need a bit more water to help thin it back to a glaze-like consistency.
