Delicious Homemade Meatballs
Easy Meatball Recipe with a Sweet & Savory Sauce
A guaranteed hit for both kids and adults! Let’s make these irresistible meatballs with their perfectly balanced sweet sauce. They’re ideal for special occasions or simply to elevate your everyday meals.
Meatball Ingredients- 200g Ground Beef
- 200g Ground Pork (preferably with some fat)
- 1 medium Onion
- 1.5 Tbsp minced garlic
- 4-5 Tbsp breadcrumbs
- Pinch of black pepper
- 2 Tbsp cooking wine (such as sake, mirin, or soju) for tenderizing and removing odors
Sauce Ingredients- 2-3 Tbsp Tonkatsu sauce
- 1 Tbsp ketchup
- 0.5 Tbsp butter
- 3-4 Tbsp water
- Sugar to taste (optional)
- A little diced bell pepper (optional)
- Broccoli, mushrooms, etc. (optional)
- 2-3 Tbsp Tonkatsu sauce
- 1 Tbsp ketchup
- 0.5 Tbsp butter
- 3-4 Tbsp water
- Sugar to taste (optional)
- A little diced bell pepper (optional)
- Broccoli, mushrooms, etc. (optional)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Let’s start with the base of our meatballs: the meat. Mix ground beef and ground pork in a 1:1 ratio. Using only beef can sometimes result in a dry texture, but adding pork with some fat makes the meatballs wonderfully tender and moist.
Step 2
Finely mince one medium onion. Here’s a handy trick for mincing onions quickly: cut the onion in half, then make several vertical cuts into the surface you’ll be dicing.
Step 3
After making the cuts, dice the onion. It will chop up very finely, almost like it was done by a food processor! This finely minced onion adds great flavor and texture to the meatballs.
Step 4
Heat a little oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the minced onion and sauté until it’s golden brown and slightly softened, about 5-9 minutes. Sautéing the onion removes excess moisture and intensifies its natural sweetness, which will contribute to a richer flavor in the meatballs.
Step 5
While the sautéed onion cools, let’s season the ground meat in a large bowl. Add about 1.5 tablespoons of minced garlic, a generous amount of black pepper to counteract any gaminess, and 2 tablespoons of cooking wine (like mirin or soju) to help tenderize the meat.
Step 6
Next, add the sautéed onion (once cooled) and the breadcrumbs to the meat mixture. Breadcrumbs help bind the meatballs and keep them moist. Ensure the sautéed onions have cooled down completely before adding them to prevent the meat mixture from becoming too wet.
Step 7
Now, it’s time to get your hands in there! Knead the mixture thoroughly with your hands until it’s well combined and develops a slightly sticky, cohesive texture. Kneading for about 5 minutes will help the meatballs hold their shape and give them a pleasing, bouncy texture when cooked.
Step 8
Once the mixture is ready, shape it into bite-sized meatballs, about the size that a child can easily eat. Gently roll them between your palms to create uniformly sized meatballs, which ensures even cooking.
Step 9
We’ll bake the meatballs intended for children and fry the ones for adults. For baking, preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Place the meatballs on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes. Check for doneness; you might need to bake for an additional 20 minutes, for a total of about 40 minutes, until cooked through. (Cooking times may vary depending on your oven’s performance, so keep an eye on them!) During the baking process, turn the meatballs occasionally to ensure they brown evenly and prevent the bottoms from burning. If you only cook them in one direction, the bottom might get too dark.
Step 10
The baked meatballs are wonderfully lean and haven’t burned – a fantastic result! I think I’ll opt for baking in the oven from now on instead of frying. It’s cleaner and healthier.
Step 11
Now, let’s fry the remaining meatballs. Pour enough oil into a pan so that the meatballs are about halfway submerged. Once the oil is heated to the right temperature, carefully add the meatballs. You can see they’re frying nicely!
Step 12
Fry the meatballs until they are golden brown on all sides, turning them frequently. Be aware that small pieces of onion might char slightly on the surface while frying. It’s a good idea to occasionally remove any darkened bits. If you have an oven, baking is much easier, cleaner, and less prone to burning than frying. I highly recommend using the oven method!
Step 13
Now, let’s whip up the delicious sauce that will complete these meatballs! In a pan, combine about 2-3 tablespoons of Tonkatsu sauce with 1 tablespoon of ketchup. (I found a 2:1 ratio of Tonkatsu sauce to ketchup worked best for me, though my husband enjoyed it with a 3:1 ratio. Feel free to adjust the sauce ratio based on the amount of meatballs you’ve made!)
Step 14
Add 3-4 tablespoons of water and half a tablespoon of butter. Stir everything together well. Taste the sauce and add a little sugar if needed to achieve your desired sweetness. The balance of sweet, tangy from the ketchup, and rich from the butter creates a truly irresistible flavor!
Step 15
Finally, for added color and flavor, stir-fry some finely diced bell pepper with the sauce. If you have broccoli or mushrooms on hand, feel free to add those as well for an even more flavorful and nutritious dish.
