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These flavor packed Mongolian Meatballs are made with simple, yet bold ingredients and are ready to eat in just 30 minutes! Believe me when I say you’re going to be positively addicted to this homemade sweet and sticky sauce.
If you’ve ever had Mongolian beef from a Chinese takeout, you’ll love these Mongolian meatballs! Coated in a similar thick Mongolian-style sticky sauce then served over a bed of white rice, these meatballs are perfect for an easy weeknight dinner at home or entertaining party guests as an appetizer. However you serve them up, Mongolian meatballs are going to satisfy and impress!
Notes of salty soy sauce, sweet brown sugar and savory fish sauce are the most predominant flavors at play in the sauce that will have you going back for every last drop. And it bears repeating – this recipe is SO easy! The ingredients for the meatballs just need to be combined then baked in just a few minutes to perfection.
While they bake, the sticky sauce needs to be made by just combining all ingredients in a saucepan and stirring over medium heat until thick and sticky. Seriously, these scrumptious Mongolian meatballs couldn’t be more delicious or easy to make.
Recipe Questions
Yes, you can! You’ll just have to thaw them and ensure that the center is not still frozen. It honestly would be faster to make them from scratch than to thaw frozen meatballs. It’s so worth the minimal effort and it’s much more tender!
Ground turkey or ground chicken would work but they have less fat so they might be a bit on the drier side. I would suggest finding dark ground turkey if you’re going the turkey route! Ground pork would be lovely too but it’s fattier so you might get more fat run off on your baking pan so make sure you use a rimmed one!
Serving Suggestions
- As an appetizer, use toothpicks inserted into each meatball and line up the Mongolian meatballs on a plate and serve to your guests. What a great, portable appetizer option!
- As a main course, serve over a bed of white rice with extra sauce drizzled on top! You may consider serving this with fried rice or make bao buns and stuff the meatballs inside!
Storage Instructions
Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, reheat on the stovetop until warmed through or in the microwave. Take note that you might need to add a little liquid to loosen up the sauce as it will thicken in the fridge.
Mongolian Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound (454 g) ground beef, 85/15 or 90/10
- ½ onion, chopped
- ½ cup (30 g) panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
For the sauce:
- ⅓ cup (79 ml) water
- ⅓ cup (73 g) brown sugar
- ¼ cup (59 ml) low-sodium soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- Red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F (204 °C) and lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a bowl combine the ground beef with the onion, panko, garlic powder and soy sauce. Mix until the ingredients are just combined.1 pound (454 g) ground beef, ½ onion, ½ cup (30 g) panko breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- Use a medium cookie scoop (or 2 tablespoons) and scoop the beef mixture and shape into a ball. Place on the prepared baking pan and repeat the process with the rest of the meatballs. Spray the tops with a little bit of oil.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until cooked through and internal temperature reads 160 °F (71 °C). Remove from the oven.
- While the meatballs are baking, prepare the sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the water, brown sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using). Cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until the sugar is caramelized and the sauce is thick and sticky.⅓ cup (79 ml) water, ⅓ cup (73 g) brown sugar, ¼ cup (59 ml) low-sodium soy sauce, ½ tablespoon fish sauce, 2 cloves garlic, Red pepper flakes
- Transfer the baked meatballs to the sauce and toss to coat. Serve with white rice and garnish with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.
Amazing! Made it for dinner tonight and my husband was not very excited when I told him I was going to try it out buttttt after his first bite he was sold! The meatballs turned out perfect and the sauce is deliciously sweet and sticky. We served it with brown rice and broccoli with a dash of everything but the bagel seasoning since we were out of sesame seeds. Will definitely be adding to our regular rotation!
Made this when my in-laws were visiting this past weekend, and it got rave reviews from everyone! I stir-fried some veggies and served those alongside the rice and meatballs. I will definitely make this again!