1teaspoonground ginger or 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
½teaspoongarlic powder
⅓cuppacked light or dark brown sugar
2tablespoonshoney
1tablespoonrice vinegar, can use white vinegar as a sub
2tablespoonscornstarch
Meatballs:
2poundslean ground beef or ground turkey
2large eggs
⅔cupbread crumbs, I usually use panko
1teaspoonsalt
¼teaspoonpepper
1 ½teaspoonWorcestershire sauce
¼teaspoongarlic powder
2 to 3tablespoonsmilk, use the lesser amount if using ground turkey
1tablespoonolive oil
Sliced green onions, for garnish
Instructions
For the sauce, in a medium bowl or in a liquid measuring cup, whisk together all the sauce ingredients until smooth (can use a blender for this, if desired). Set aside.
For the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients, except the 1 tablespoon oil and the green onions, and mix until well-combined (I usually ditch any utensil and just get my hands in there to do the mixing). Form the mixture into meatballs about an inch or two in size.
In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until the oil is rippling and hot. Add the meatballs in a single layer to the hot skillet and brown on all sides, turning with a pair of tongs. The meatballs don’t need to be completely cooked through, just equally browned on all sides.
Pour the sauce ingredients over the meatballs and gently turn the meatballs to coat them in the sauce. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook about 10-15 minutes, stirring every once in a while to carefully turn the meatballs and coat them in the sauce, until the meatballs are cooked through. If the sauce becomes overly thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time to thin.
Serve the meatballs and sauce over hot, cooked rice, quinoa or couscous. If desired, garnish with green onions.
Notes
Minor Changes: I've updated this recipe from six years ago with a few minor changes (and added more details in a few places). It's still the same great teriyaki meatball you may have been loving for the last several years. Soy Sauce: I've found over the years that using regular soy sauce makes it a bit too salty for our tastes so we've switched to low-sodium. Ginger: we prefer the flavor of fresh ginger, if I have it on hand. Sauce Changes: I've also cut the sugar down just slightly - if you are looking for the original amount it was 1/2 cup and added a tablespoon of rice vinegar to cut the richness of the sauce. And finally, I've started adding less cornstarch to the sauce as we don't like it quite as thick.