Teriyaki Meatballs

I recently discovered the blog My Kitchen Cafe and have saved a ton of her recipes to try. A few weeks ago, I made her fluffy cous cous, and I topped them with these delicious Teriyaki Meatballs.

Together, this was a perfect dinner. I loved the flavor of the sauce, and I really appreciated that the meatballs were baked and not fried. Not only are they healthier that way, but much easier!


Meatballs:

• 2 pounds ground beef (at least 90% lean)
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons milk

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup cold water

For the sauce, in a medium bowl mix the soy sauce, 1 3/4 cups water, ginger, garlic powder, brown sugar, honey and cornstarch together. In a separate small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch into the 1/2 cup cold water. Set both bowls aside.

For the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients except for the ground beef and mix well. Add the ground beef and mix until combined. Form ground beef mixture into 1 to 1 1/2-inch meatballs. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat two tablespoons oil over medium heat until the oil is rippling and hot. Add the meatballs to the hot skillet and brown on all sides, turning with a pair of tongs. The meatballs don't need to be completely cooked through, just equally browned on all sides.

When the meatballs have browned, pour the sauce ingredients over the meatballs and gently turn the meatballs to coat them in the sauce. Heat the sauce until just simmering and add the cornstarch/water mixture, carefully mixing so as not to break apart the meatballs as you combine the cornstarch mixture with the teriyaki sauce. Simmer the meatballs and sauce over medium heat, maintaining a constant simmer but not cooking at too high of a boil, until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is thick and smooth (if the sauce becomes overly thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time to thin), about 10-15 minutes, turning the meatballs every two or three minutes to ensure even cooking. Serve over rice or couscous.