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Sticky Mongolian Meatballs

You can make Sticky Mongolian Meatballs in less than 30 minutes! The meatballs and broccoli cook on the same baking sheet, which makes cleaning up even easier. Tossed with a rich, sweet sauce that tastes great and served over rice or noodles.

People have always liked my Mongolian Beef dish on the blog. A lot on Instagram. Every time that picture of the shiny sauce shows up in my feed, people love it. I wanted to wow, so I made these Mongolian Beef Meatballs as a playful spin on that swoon-worthy recipe.

My original recipe says to fry strips of beef that have been dipped in cornstarch to make them extra crunchy. They taste great! But to be honest, I don’t really like frying. Having a pan of hot oil on the stove worries me out a little bit since it makes such a mess. This recipe uses meatballs instead. They bake in the oven with some broccoli, which makes cleaning easy.

I used ground beef for the meat. But ground turkey, chicken, or pork would all work! I added ginger, garlic, and green onions to the meatballs, which are also in the sauce.

I like to put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil so that they are easier to clean up. Just put the meatballs on one half of the baking sheet and the broccoli florets on the other half. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the meatballs are crispy and the broccoli is soft.

Now is the appropriate time to make the sauce. The sauce is the same as the one I used in my first Mongolian Beef dish. It tastes so good when you cook it sweet, sour, and spicy. And I just want to add that I wish my hair looked as shiny as this sauce. Definitely worth swooning over.

Just boil the sauce and let it thicken for 15 to 20 minutes. It should be done at roughly the same time as the meatballs. Then, mix the meatballs with the sauce until they are fully covered.

Put everything on top of a bed of instant pot rice and top with green onions and sesame seeds. You can also serve these Mongolian Beef Meatballs over noodles, quinoa made in an instant pot, or even cauliflower fried rice for a low-carb option.

You could also just cook the meatballs and forgo the broccoli. Serve them as an appetizer with toothpicks or mini skewers. So much fun!

Ingredients

Two pounds of ground beef
four green onions, cut very finely, plus more for serving
Fresh ginger, 2 inches long (grated or 2 tablespoons of ginger paste)
6 cloves of garlic, chopped or grated
1 head of broccoli, sliced into florets
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon of oil from vegetables
1 cup of soy sauce with low sodium (Make sure to use low-sodium so the sauce doesn’t taste overly salty)
1 cup of brown sugar
4 cloves of chopped garlic
2 tablespoons of minced ginger
⅔ cup of water
1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons of cornstarch stirred with 1/2 cup of water

Three green onions, cut into thin slices
Seeds of sesame

Instructions

Set the oven to 450 degrees F. Put foil or parchment paper on a baking pan.
Put the ground beef, green onions, ginger, and garlic in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir until everything is mixed together. Make balls that are about the size of a tablespoon and put them on one side of the prepared baking sheet. Put the broccoli on the other side of the baking sheet and toss it with 1 tablespoon of oil, salt, and pepper. Put in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the meatballs are done.

In the meantime, put the oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, water, rice wine vinegar, and red pepper flakes in a big skillet. For about 10 minutes, stir and cook over medium-high heat. Mix the cornstarch with 1/2 cup of water and add it to your sauce. Keep cooking until the sauce is thicker. Take off the heat.
Put the cooked meatballs in the skillet with the sauce and toss them around until the sauce covers the meatballs.
Put the meatballs and extra sauce on bowls of rice with more green onions and sesame seeds on top. Put the broccoli on the side.

Serving Suggestions and Pairings

Rice in an Instant Pot
Fried Rice with Cauliflower
Bacon Fried Rice with Green Onions
Fried Rice in an Instant Pot
Asian Cucumber Salad with Toasted Rice Flour
Ginger Veggie Stir Fry, Thai Cucumber Salad, and more than 25 sides for meatballs.

A fruity red wine like Zinfandel or Grenache will go well with the ingredients in this meat entrée.

Riesling is always a good choice for white wine with robust, spicy foods.

Nutrition Facts