Hawaiian Meatballs

 

I tried this recipe for Hawaiian meatballs.I served it once with broccoli salad, though it was also good with rice. We loved the meatballs, but the sauce was not what I expected – and I have to take the fall for that because I had to make last-minute adaptations. I didn’t have enough soy sauce, so I decreased the amount of sweetener to compensate. It was still chunkier than I would have liked, but oh well, that’s life. I did make the meatballs smaller – the below is my size and I got 44 meatballs.

For the meatballs
2 lbs. lean ground beef (I used 1 lb. beef and 1 lb. turkey)
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup lactose-free milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup white OR brown rice, cooked according to package directions

For the sauce
12 oz. crushed pineapple, OR finely minced fresh pineapple
¾ cup water (I omitted it, but did not drain the pineapple)
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce (I only had ¼ cup)
⅓ cup honey (I used ¼ cup; see note above)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. water
fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
sesame seeds, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 °F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, milk, egg, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, Worcestershire, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. Use your hands (I used a fork) to gently mix ingredients until thoroughly combined but not packed down. Scoop meat into 3-tablespoon mounds (I used a 3-Tbsp. cookie scoop and made 2 balls from a scoop) and gently roll into balls (which should measure a bit more than 1 inch across).

Arrange meatballs on prepared baking sheet, at least an inch apart. Bake meatballs for 20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through to the center (cut into a meatball to check for doneness; internal temperature should be 165 °F if using a thermometer). Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any grease and cover with foil to keep warm.

While meatballs are baking, cook rice according to package directions.

At the same time, in another saucepan set over medium heat, prepare the sauce by combining pineapple, water, soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, and fresh ginger. Bring sauce to a boil, stirring occasionally, and then reduce to a simmer. In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Stream cornstarch mixture into simmering sauce while stirring. Allow sauce to cook for a few minutes until thickened and glossy, stirring occasionally.

Serve meatballs over rice with sauce poured on top. Garnish with fresh cilantro and sesame seeds, if desired.