Teriyaki Meatballs are pork meatballs that are smothered in a homemade teriyaki sauce to give them that sweet and savory teriyaki flavor. Serve these over a bed of rice and a side of Roasted Carrots for a complete meal! If you love a saucy meatball, give my Honey BBQ Meatballs a try!
The word teriyaki is actually a combination of two Japanese words–teri and yaki. Teri means luster and yaki means grill or broil. If you have seen a teriyaki dish, you probably noticed the ‘shine’ that the sauce gives the food. That is the ‘teri’ part of the word. And the ‘yaki’ would involve cooking the ingredients that have been marinated in the sauce. Yes, you can go out and buy teriyaki from the store, but it is so easy to make at home and is an important part of these Teriyaki Meatballs.
TERIYAKI MEATBALLS RECIPE
It doesn’t take any fancy ingredients to make these tasty pork meatballs. And, with just a few more ingredients, you will have a teriyaki glaze that makes them that much better!
Meatballs Ingredients (full recipe below)
- Ground pork
- Egg
- Parmesan cheese
- Flat-leaf parsley
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Milk
- Breadcrumbs
- Minced garlic
- Onion
Teriyaki Sauce Ingredients
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar (or dry sherry)
- Brown sugar
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Green onions, for garnish
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
HOW TO MAKE TERIYAKI MEATBALLS
It’s easy to make these Teriyaki Meatballs. In fact, you will probably choose to make your own meatballs from now on and skip the frozen ones from the grocery store. It’s all about the meatball topped with the teriyaki sauce.
- First, to make the meatball, combine the ground pork, egg, cheese, parsley and salt in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine the milk, breadcrumbs, garlic, and onion.
- Add the milk mixture to the ground pork mixture. Don’t overmix all the ingredients. If you overmix the ingredients, it will make the meatballs tough. Just get the ingredients combined for the most tender meatballs.
- I would suggest that you grease your hands before you start forming the meatballs.
- Place each meatball into a greased 8×8-inch pan. Roast them in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the teriyaki sauce.
- To make the teriyaki sauce, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Cook that for about 2 minutes, or until the brown sugar has dissolved.
- Reduce the heat to low and whisk together cornstarch and water in a small bowl.
- Add this mixture to the saucepan and simmer until it has thickened.
- After the initial 15 minutes of baking time, pour the sauce over the cooked meatballs, cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 15 minutes. The meatballs should reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Use up all that sauce that is at the bottom of the pan to add as much flavor as you want for the meatballs. Garnish with some green onions and sesame seeds.
TERIYAKI MEATBALLS AS AN APPETIZER
Just in case you are looking for something amazing to serve at a get-together or pot luck, this recipe would be perfect! You can prepare all of the meatballs and keep them warm in a crockpot or a commercial warming pan. In general, ceramics and glass will hold their heat better than metal pans, so opt for those if possible. Once you pour the sauce over the baked meatballs, cook it on low for about an hour.
Ingredients
MEATBALLS
- 2 pounds ground pork
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
TERIYAKI SAUCE
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ cup water
- 1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, combine ground pork, beaten egg, cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix together until just combined.
- In a medium bowl, combine the milk, breadcrumbs, garlic, and onion.
- Add milk mixture to the meat mixture being careful not to overwork ingredients.
- Form into desired size meatball, greasing hands before starting to keep the meat from sticking, and place in a greased 8×8-inch baking dish.
- Place in preheated oven and roast for about 15 minutes (or until the meatballs are crisp on the outside).
- While meatballs are cooking, prepare teriyaki sauce.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. Whisk ingredients together and cook for 2 minutes or until the brown sugar has dissolved.
- Reduce heat to low.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Pour into the saucepan and simmer until thickened. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon.
- Pour the sauce over the cooked meatballs. Cover the dish with foil and return it to the oven to bake for an additional 15 minutes (or until the meatballs are cooked through – 165°F on a meat thermometer).
- Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
