I wanted to make meatballs for dinner the other day but I wasn't in the mood for my usual meatballs and gravy, and kept coming up short on new ideas...
My sweet friend Charisa and I were sitting at the kitchen counter trying to decide what direction to take them when we found a bottle of Panda Express Orange Sauce that I had bought at Costco a while ago, and these delicious little bites where born!
These sweet, savory, asian meatballs would also be great made with ground turkey or chicken!
Sesame Orange Meatballs Recipe
serves 4-6
Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
1 large egg
1/4 cup prepared orange sauce*
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons minced dried onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon ground or freshly grated ginger
*more orange sauce to heat and serve the meatballs with
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside.
In a large bowl, gently and quickly mix together all of the meatball ingredients with your hands.
Form the mixture into golf-ball-sized balls and place them on the baking sheet. (The easiest way to do this is with clean hands dipped in cold water in between formings!)
Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the meatballs are golden and no longer pink in the center when you cut one in half.
***This is the place to stop if you are making these ahead of time or to stock your freezer. Cool the meatballs completely and then place them in a single layer in freezer-safe Ziploc bags and freeze for up to 3 months!***
When you are ready to serve them, heat the meatballs covered in more of the orange sauce in a dish in a 350ºF oven or in a saucepan over medium heat until heated through.
Serve with rice and your favorite veggies!
