Easy Fire Cracker Meatballs
This post is about Easy Fire Cracker Meatballs
Mmmm.- have you heard of fire cracker meatballs? I just heard about them for the first time a couple weeks ago and immediately knew they would be a hit with my family. I remember when I started my first food blog alllllll those years ago - I almost didn’t start it, because I worried that someday I would run out of recipes to share! Today as I share this AMAZING fire cracker meatball recipe, I’m reminded that I can NEVER run out of ideas to share. Like music, food can be brought together in so many different ways where only the slightest tweak, creates something new and wonderful. These fire cracker meatballs are so delicious and easy to make, PLUS it got thumbs up from both kids. A huge shout-out, to Maria - one of my new bootcampers who shared this recipe with me, because it will for sure be a regular in our rotation!
Are these the same as the Hello Fresh Fire Cracker Meatballs?
NO. This recipe was 100% inspired by the Hello Fresh recipe, but I tweaked it to match the ingredients I keep in my home and made it a bit simpler. I also amped up the flavor - swapping out garlic for the green onion and amping up the ginger.
The secret to flavorful meatballs:
My heritage might be English and Irish, but I am NOT a meat and potatoes kinda gal, lol! I rarely make a meal without garlic, onions or hot sauce. I ALWAYS have frozen garlic and ginger cubes in my freezer - this is hands down a time saver and you will not sacrifice flavor. I buy these at Trader Joe’s - but I’m sure you could find them at other grocery stores. If you only have garlic powder or ginger powder on hand, I’m sure your meatballs will still taste good - but using fresh/frozen gives it that restaurant flavor.
Size matters!
Keeping these meatballs on the smaller size keeps the cooking time short - I found 15 minutes to be perfect in my oven. If you increase the size, it will obviously take longer and you also risk them being a bit dry. Please note - I did not use eggs or binder in addition to the breadcrumbs and they kept their shape perfectly. If you swap out the beef for turkey or chicken, you may need an egg white to help them keep their shape while cooking. Additionally - you could serve these as an appetizer and use the Fire Cracker sauce for dipping!
What to serve with your Fire Cracker Meatballs:
I served these meatballs with cauliflower rice (cooked 1 bag of rice with 1 cube garlic + 1 cube ginger, then drizzled lightly with the Fire Cracker Sauce) and Cucumber Salad. Jasmine rice, green beans or snow peas would also make excellent side dishes! Next time, I’m planning on serving them in lettuce wraps - mmmm, so many options!
Additionally, you can find more ideas in my round-up of What to Serve with Meatballs 13 Low-Carb Side Dishes.
Easy Firecracker Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons mayo
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 4 teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha (use less if you don't like it spicy!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper (or spray with cooking spray)
- Mix ground beef, ginger, garlic, cilantro, soy sauce, and bread crumbs together in large bowl
- Form approximately 20 1.5 inch meatballs (about 2 tablespoons mix per meatball) and place on baking sheet
- Bake 15 minutes until meatballs are cooked through
- While meatballs are cooking, mix Fire Cracker Sauce ingredients together in small mixing bowl
- Once meatballs are cooked, serve about 4-5 meatballs per serving, drizzle with Fire Cracker Sauce
This post was about Easy Fire Cracker Meatballs
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