Teriyaki Meatballs

Teriyaki meatballs are a great family dinner idea, leftover lunch option, and perfect for serving a crowd! Bite sized meatballs are paired with a sweet teriyaki sauce, tender peppers and onions, and garnished with sesame seeds and chopped green onions. The flavor in these juicy tender meatballs is awesome, created by Anne’s Family Recipes! In her Vlog about this recipe, she shares how much her family loved these little meatballs bites. Check out her video here and grab the recipe below!

Veal has such a mild flavor it pairs great as the protein in this teriyaki meatball recipe, allowing the sweet teriyaki to shine through. Your family will enjoy these simple and delicious meatballs as a dinner, a lunch, or an app! Served with rice and veggies on the side, they make a group balanced dinner. They are even great served to a crowd for a party buffet!

Teriyaki Meatball Sauce

This recipe calls for two tablespoons of cornstarch to thicken the sauce. You can add all of the cornstarch before putting the mixture in the crockpot or, like Anne did add, one tablespoon at the beginning and one at the end. To Thicken the mixture at the end, Anne made a slurry with two tablespoons of the sauce in the crockpot and one tablespoon of corn starch! This allows you to control the thickness, making it what your family loves.

Serving the Meatballs

Serve these meatballs with a vegetable and a grain for a full dinner. They are perfect for busy family nights when everyone seems to be on the move, kept warm in the crockpot. Or serve them as a sit-down dinner that is quick to get everyone together at the dinner table. No matter what, these meatballs serve a delicious and filling dinner. Not to mention, packed with the protein your family needs to stay moving. Making these teriyaki meatballs ahead of time also saves you time during the week in the kitchen. Save this recipe for later and check out one of our other great family recipes; these Sheet Pan Nachos with ground veal!!

Ingredients

Meatballs:

2 lbs. ground veal

1 c. panko breadcrumbs

2 eggs

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Teriyaki Sauce:

1 c. low sodium soy sauce

1/2 c. pineapple juice (from can of pineapple chunks, discard remaining juice)

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. ground ginger

pinch of red pepper flakes

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 can pineapple chunks (use 1/2 c. of juice in the sauce and discard the rest)

2 red bell peppers, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2-3 green onions, chopped

sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the veal, breadcrumbs, eggs, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. ground ginger, 1/2 tsp. onion powder, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Mix together by hand until everything is incorporated.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and grease lightly with baking spray. Use a medium cookie scoop to equally portion out the meatballs then roll them between your hands to smooth out the edges and place on the baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through (internal temperature for ground veal should be 160 degrees F).

When you are ready to prepare the teriyaki sauce, whisk together the soy sauce, pineapple juice, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. ground ginger, pinch of red pepper flakes, 1/2 c. brown sugar, 2 Tbsp. honey, and 2 Tbsp. cornstarch until no lumps remain.

Lightly grease the inside of your slow cooker with baking spray. Place all of the baked veal meatballs inside. Pour the teriyaki sauce over top. Scatter the pineapple chunks, diced red bell peppers, and diced onions over top.

Cover with lid and cook on LOW for about 5 hours. About 20 minutes before finished, check the sauce for consistency and add more cornstarch if necessary. Do this by creating a slurry, whisking together equal parts cornstarch and hot teriyaki sauce–start with 1 Tbsp. of each–and stirring this back into the slow cooker slowly to thicken the sauce.

Before serving, garnish with diced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve over rice with steamed edamame or sugar snap peas.