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Takeout-style Weeknight Sticky Honey Garlic Meatballs – inspired by classic Mongolian beef. Easy homemade chicken and ginger meatballs, tossed in a sweet, spicy, and extra sticky honey garlic soy sauce. Then served over rice and topped with plenty of sesame seeds for a deliciously fun dinner. Make the meatballs even better with a creamy garlic dipping sauce. Quicker than any take-out meal…and made a little more wholesome too.
Thursday night takeout-style food at home! What if we made this a weekly series? It could be fun, especially since we all know how much my family loves Chinese, Thai, and Korean-inspired dinners. Plus, I have so much fun with a “takeout” inspired meal. It’s always a nice change from our usual pasta and pizza nights.
Creighton has been asking me to make Mongolian beef for some time now. Really anything beef (or lamb). He’s kind of a guys-guy, he wants at least a little beef in every meal.
Since I have a Mongolian beef recipe in the new cookbook, I wondered if there was a fun spin I could take on the quick and easy recipe. Meatballs are something I usually make with a more Italian-style sauce. But a sweet and spicy Mongolian-inspired meatball sounded fun. And like the perfect simple twist on the very popular restaurant entree, Mongolian beef.
Mongolian beef is a very simple dish consisting of thinly sliced steak, stir-fried with garlic, and ginger, then tossed in a sweet soy-based sauce. It’s not usually too spicy, just a touch, but a little sweet and tangy.
The sauce is the key. It’s usually topped with green onions (scallions) and paired with vegetables, then served over rice.
For the meatballs, instead of using steak, I made ginger chicken meatballs.
Here are the details
For the meat, I used ground chicken, but ground pork or ground beef will work just as well. I seasoned them up with plenty of green onions, ginger, and a splash of soy (well, I like to use tamari, which is gluten-free soy sauce). Then I rolled them through cornstarch (or arrowroot powder) to give them a little breading before pan-searing in a skillet.
Similar to how I make this orange chicken, but with meatballs.
While the meatballs cook, mix up the sauce, which is simply soy sauce mixed with honey and water. I then made a quick cornstarch slurry to use to thicken the sauce.
Once the meatballs are seared, pull them out of the skillet, then toss in lots of broccoli. I love to use broccoli here, but bell peppers, asparagus, or even brussels sprouts would all be delicious.
Pan-fry the broccoli for a few minutes, then add the garlic, ginger, and a pinch of chili flakes. Pour over the sauce and add the meatballs back.
Simmer the sauce a few minutes, then pour in the cornstarch slurry and let the sauce cook until it coats the meatballs.
Grab your bowls full of rice and spoon the meatballs and sauce over top. Next, add lots of fresh green onions and sesame seeds.
So quick and easy, but the flavor is perfect. I made mine a little less sweet than the traditional sauce and added double the ginger. Totally delicious.
Here’s a tip, double the recipe and save the leftovers for quick and easy lunches. The meatballs would also be great atop a chopped salad or served over rice noodles.
They’re great as party appetizers too, so the serving options are endless! Of course, around here we love them over rice with lots of vegetables. It’s our kind of “comfort” food.
Looking for other weeknight dinners? Here are my favorites:
Ginger Sesame Chicken and Crispy Brussels Sprouts
Crockpot Crispy Chicken Tinga Tacos with Avocado Jalapeño Crema
Lastly, if you make these Weeknight Sticky Honey Garlic Meatballs, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Weeknight Sticky Honey Garlic Meatballs
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 536 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey, chicken, or beef
- 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 2 green onions, chopped
- black pepper
- 1/4 cup avocado or sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 large head broccoli, cut into florets (about a cup and a half of florets)
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
- chili flakes
- 1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- 1. To make the meatballs. Combine the meat, 1 tablespoon tamari/soy sauce, 1 tablespoon ginger, green onions, and a pinch of pepper in a bowl. Mix until just combined. Coat your hands with oil, and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls. The mix will be wet. 2. Place 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a shallow bowl. Dredge the meatballs in cornstarch to coat. Take the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch and mix with 2 tablespoons water, set aside.3. To make the sauce. In a glass jar, whisk together 1/2 cup tamari/soy sauce, 1/4 cup honey, and 1/3 cup water. 4. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs, cook until seared all around, about 8 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the skillet.5. To the skillet, add the broccoli and cook until lightly charring, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and chili flakes, cook 1-2 minutes. Pour in the tamari/honey sauce. Bring to a boil, boil 3-4 minutes, then add the chicken. Toss with the sauce and cook until the sauce starts to thicken. Pour in the cornstarch slurry and cook another 2-3 minutes, until the sauce coats the meatballs.6. Serve the meatballs and sauce over steamed rice with sesame seeds, green onions, and dipping sauce (recipe in notes).
Notes
Sweet/Creamy Dipping Sauce: combine 1/2 cup mayo, 1 tablespoon ketchup, 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, 1 teaspoon tamari/soy sauce, and 1 clove garlic in a bowl. Thin with 1-2 tablespoons water.
This post was originally published on March 17, 2022
Step 5 there is a small error… says add chicken.. ☺️
Thanks for the heads up, Wendy!
Umm definitely not “quick and easy” as describe
Hi Nulie,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xT
I love this recipe but every time I make it, my meatballs turn out super flat! Any tips for how to keep them round when turning them on the stovetop?
Hi Sheila,
Fantastic! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe and appreciate you making it! You could try popping your meatballs in the fridge for 30 minutes after rolling them out. Have a great week! xxT
This dish is absolutely delicious! Fairly simple and my husband loved it! I added cabbage and some asparagus, yummy! Will be making again. 🙂
Thanks so much, Alivia!! So glad to hear your family enjoyed this dish, I appreciate you making it! Happy Sunday! xx
Way too much salt for sure, as others stated. Yummy flavors but we just couldn’t get through it with the strong salt flavor unfortunately. I agree with another of using 1/4 cup of soy instead and using water to replace the other 1/4 cup.
Hi Alli,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry it was so salty for you! I would use low sodium soy sauce or tamari next time. I hope this helps! xT
Delicious! I want to eat the whole pan! I used coconut aminos instead of soy and arrowroot instead of cornstarch! Just wondering if you can make ahead; how they reheat? Thank you! It’ll be a staple recipe in our home going forward!
Hey Allie,
Fantastic! So glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Yes, you could totally make these in advance, they would be a great freezer meal! Have the best week! x
Tried this tonight and it really came together quickly and perfectly. I used ground pork for something different, subbed green beans because that’s what I had, and followed recipe exactly. Very flavorful and will add to our rotation. Thanks for a great recipe.
Thanks so much, Jenneane! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thank you for giving it a try! Enjoy the short week:) x
Unfortunately much too salty. Wish I had read the reviews first and subbed half the soy sauce for water!
Hi Laura,
Thanks for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, so very sorry to hear it was salty for you! xx
This was soooo good, easy to put together and tastes just like Chinese takeout. My new go-to for sure – another genius recipe !!
Hi Allie,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your feedback! Love to hear it was a hit! xT
Thinking, what happens if I use lamb mince…
I used Chicken Mince and added Capsicum, Peas & Spinach & served it over Jasmine Rice. I had leftovers for days. It was delicious cold!
Thanks so so much! Always love to hear when a recipe is enjoyed! Have a great weekend 🙂 xT
Followed this recipe to a T and it was super salty? Not sure if anyone else had that experience but it was overly salty in our opinion. The meatballs did have great flavor on their own, but both the soy/honey sauce, and the “sweet” creamy mayo dipping sauce were super salty. Might make again with different ratios
Thank you so much for the feedback Samantha! xT
Yep, same here! Super disappointed:/ I even added extra honey and it didn’t help one bit.
For the dipping sauce, do you chop the garlic or use a whole garlic clove ? Love this recipe! Making tonight for guests !
Can I bake the meatballs in the oven? And if I can do the oven, what temp and do I still roll them in cornstarch?
I’ve made this recipe on the stove top already as directed, but I want to skip the mess of cleaning up from all of the oil spray from the cooking of the meatballs so I’d like to try in the oven. Thanks in advance!
Hey Isabella,
I haven’t tried this recipe in the oven, so I don’t have those exact instructions for you! I don’t see why it wouldn’t work though. Let me know if you give this a try! xT
This dish was delicious and, now, we question whether we will ever order Chinese takeout again. I love how the sauce was gooey and thickened so quickly. I used a mix of ground pork and ground beef, and it was so good. The dipping sauce was also a hit. No leftovers last night! It was all gone. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Sooo glad you loved the meatballs! Thanks for trying out the recipe! xT