Gimme Some Oven

Saucy Sesame Meatballs

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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!

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Saucy Sesame Meatballs

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 39 reviews
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 30-35 meatballs 1x

Description

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

Scale

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

  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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!

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220 comments on “Saucy Sesame Meatballs”

  1. 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!






  2. 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?






  3. Amazing! For a healthier option I made the meatballs with no sauce and substituted your chimichurri recipe as a dipping sauce instead. Yum.






  4. 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!

  5. Is there any salt in the meat mixture? I’ll be making these today! Can’t wait!

  6. 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






  7. 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!






  8. 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.






  9. 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.






  10. 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.






  11. Great recipe! I used a pork/beef combo and had to bake a little longer than 12 minutes. I did salt the meat slightly beforehand which I think added extra flavor. For some reason, this recipe doesn’t include salt.

  12. I decided to make this into a meal and it was a success! I sauteed some veggies (carrots, green peppers, onion and zucchini) in sesame oil and made some rice on the side. I added some of the sauce to the veggies to marinate in after they cooked a bit and added the meatballs and all of the sauce in a large sauce pan to warm together. I only used 1 lb of meat for me and my boyfriend and actually used ground turkey to make the meatballs, so they took a bit longer to cook than the beef version. I halved the meatball recipe but kept the sauce amount the same (enough to cover the rice). Everything turned out great! We will be making this again, super easy and quick!

  13. Can these be eaten cold? Anyine tried them this way. Thinking of serving as a cold canapy.






  14. This meatball portion of this recipe needs salt.
    It was flavorless. The sauce was good, but, there is no good reason to not add a salt element to the meat.
    I forgot to test a Patty on the stove prior to balling up and baking the whole batch, it wasn’t terrible , just could be better.






  15. My husband and I don’t eat meat, but I found this recipe easy to veganize using Beyond products. I did half “beef” and half “sausage.” It was a big hit! My husband especially enjoyed this dish. Thank you!

  16. Delicious! Husband and I devoured the entire batch and wished we had more!






  17. Has anyone made these using chicken or turkey for the non beef eaters? thanks

  18. These look amazing and would love to make them for a work buffet but would these work and taste as well if served cold?

  19. This has become one of my go to recipes. My only change is that I make it as a meatloaf instead of the meatballs. Mainly because I’m lazy and don’t want to take the time to form the meatballs. I cook until a inside temp reaches the safe zone. Usually about an hour.

  20. These meatballs are easy to make and absolutely delicious!






  21. Can I use store bought meatballs? Will the sauce be enough flavor?

  22. I enjoy saucy food. The meatballs tasted delicious but there was barely any extra sauce. Just enough to coat the meat balls. Other than that, I’d make these again.






  23. My fiance is Indian and does not eat beef or pork. Could this be made with any other meat (such as goat) and still come out delicious? Plus we are having a Christmas party (my tradition) and everyone attending will be Indian.






  24. These turned out delicious! I made mine a bit larger as they were going with fried rice for dinner! I have made these several times and a fan favorite! Great the next day too for lunch leftovers.






  25. This is very easy to prepare. I served it over rice with a side of broccoli. Family said it is so tasty. Next time I will use fresh ginger. I used a combination of half beef and half pork. I also added salt to the beef mixture and sauce. The meatballs came out so tender. I cooked them a few minutes longer, just until they were golden as the recipe said. I can’t wait to make this dish again!






  26. Eating leftovers for breakfast-cold! Almost better than dinner last night! I know someone is going to be disappointed there aren’t as many leftovers. 😋

  27. These asian meatballs are delicious. They came out nice and tender and so flavorful. Will be making again!