I’m kind of obsessed with meatballs. They’re easy to make, filling, they pack well for lunches, are freezer-friendly, and can be paired with so many different flavors. Plus, I just kind of think meatballs cute (is that weird?). This time I seasoned my meatballs with some garlic and ginger, and drenched them in a homemade teriyaki sauce for these super easy and delish Teriyaki Meatball Bowls. You’re going to love the simplicity of this meal, and those juicy little pork and ginger meatballs!
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Can I substitute the Pork?
I used ground pork for this recipe because it’s inexpensive and always juicy, but you could certainly use ground turkey or chicken instead. The bulk of the flavor comes in the potent teriyaki glaze that coats the meatballs, so any milder ground meat works great. Ground beef can be used, but I find the flavors work a little better with mild white meat.
How long do the Teriyaki Meatball Bowls last?
You can store these meatball bowls in the refrigerator for about 4 days. To reheat, simply microwave for about 2 minutes, or until heated through.
Can the Meatball Bowls be Frozen?
Most of the components of these bowls are freezer friendly—the meatballs, rice, and broccoli. The teriyaki sauce, however, is not. Sauces thickened with cornstarch don’t tend to hold up to freezing and thawing. So you have a few options here. You can freeze the cooked or uncooked meatballs to quickly reheat or cook on busy nights, and then make the rest of the dish fresh, or freeze the meatball bowls whole but without the teriyaki sauce. You can then make the teriyaki sauce fresh and drizzle over top after reheating the bowls.
Other Ways to Serve Teriyaki Meatball Bowls
If you love pineapple with your teriyaki, simply stir a can of drained pineapple tidbits into the sauce, or use thawed frozen pineapple tidbits. These teriyaki meatballs also make a great appetizer! Just drench them in the sauce and serve with toothpicks.
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Teriyaki Meatball Bowls
Servings 4Ingredients
PORK AND GINGER MEATBALLS
- 1 lb. ground pork ($3.49)
- 1 large egg ($0.23)
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs ($0.13)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp soy sauce ($0.02)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.2)
TERIYAKI SAUCE
- 1/2 cup soy sauce ($0.48)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar ($0.18)
- 2 tsp grated fresh ginger ($0.20)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 cup water ($0.00)
- 2 Tbsp corn starch ($0.06)
FOR SERVING
- 1 cup jasmine rice ($0.66)
- 2 cups water ($0.00)
- 2 green onions ($0.08)
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds ($0.08)
- 1 lb. frozen broccoli florets ($2.59)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Begin with the meatball mixture. Add the ground pork, egg, breadcrumbs, minced garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and sliced green onions to a bowl. Use your hands to mix the ingredients until evenly combined.
- Divide and shape the meatball mixture into 16 ping pong sized balls. Place the shaped meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Baked the meatballs for about 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and have reached an internal temperature of at least 160ºF.
- While the meatballs are cooking, begin the rice. Add the jasmine rice and water to a sauce pot. Place a lid on top and turn the heat onto high. Bring the pot up to a full boil, then turn the heat down to low and allow it to simmer, undisturbed for 15 minutes. After simmering for 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let it sit, with the lid still in place, for an additional 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
- While the rice and meatballs are cooking, prepare the teriyaki sauce. Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, grated ginger, water, and cornstarch in a medium sauce pot. Stir to dissolve the cornstarch. Place the pot over medium heat. Stir and cook the sauce until it begins to simmer, at which point the sauce will thicken and turn from opaque to a shiny sauce. Remove the sauce from the heat.
- Finally, if serving the meatball bowls immediately, cook the frozen broccoli florets according to the package instructions. If you're packing the bowls as meal prep, the broccoli florets can be added in their frozen state.
- Once the meatballs have finished baking, add them to the sauce pot with the teriyaki sauce and stir to coat.
- To build the bowls, divide the cooked rice and broccoli florets between four bowls or containers. Add four meatballs to each bowl, then drizzle the extra sauce overtop. Finish the bowls by adding sliced green onion and sesame seeds to each bowl.
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Equipment
- Enamelware Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Pyrex Glass Meal Prep
- Garlic Press
Nutrition
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How to Make Teriyaki Meatball Bowls – Step By Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Combine 1 lb. ground pork, 1 large egg, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 tsp grated fresh ginger, 2 sliced green onions, and 1/2 tsp soy sauce in a large bowl. Use your hands to mix the ingredients until they are evenly combined.
Divide and shape the meatball mixture into 16 ping pong sized balls, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake the meatballs for about 20 minutes, or until they’re golden brown and the internal temperature has reached 160ºF.
Once the meatballs are in the oven, begin the rice. Add 1 cup jasmine rice and 2 cups water to a sauce pot. Place a lid on top and put the pot over high heat. Bring the pot up to a full boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer with the lid in place for 15 minutes. After simmering for 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let it sit undisturbed for 5 more minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.
Once the meatballs and rice have started, it’s time to make the quick teriyaki sauce. In a medium sauce pot, combine 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 cloves of minced garlic, about 2 tsp grated ginger, 1 cup water, and 2 Tbsp cornstarch. Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved.
Place the sauce pot over medium heat and cook the sauce, stirring often, until it comes up to a simmer. When it reaches a simmer the sauce will thicken into a shiny glaze. Remove the sauce from the heat.
If you’re going to be serving the teriyaki meatball bowls right away, heat 1 pound of frozen broccoli florets according to the package directions (or just heat in the microwave). If you’re going to be packing these bowls up for meal prep, the broccoli florets can go into the containers frozen.
By this time the meatballs should be finished baking. Transfer them to the pot with the teriyaki sauce and stir to coat.
To build your bowls, divide the cooked rice and broccoli florets between four bowls. Add four meatballs to each bowl and drizzle the extra sauce over top. Finish the bowls by topping with more sliced green onion and some sesame seeds.
As with any meal prep, if you’re packing these up for later, make sure to get them into the refrigerator right away so they can cool down as quickly as possible to maintain quality and avoid food safety issues.
I made this but used our canned salmon and it was awesome! I baked the fish-balls for only 20 minutes but everything else was the same. Very yummy!
This recipe was great! I made it for my fiance and I and he had 3 servings…and there is still plenty leftover to bring for lunch tomorrow.
I love how the flavors of everything match up perfectly, it was very easy, and it came out perfectly without any additions or substitutions :-)
This is fantastic! I made this last night and my husband was practically drooling when I put the meatballs in the teriyaki glaze. This has made its way into our regular dinner rotation. Thanks for the recipe!
I made these with ground turkey (hint: spray the aluminum foil to prevent sticking). I added a can of pineapple chunks (drained) to the sauce. This is a fantastic receipe. Absolutely loved it.
Finally i did this, and so good. I loved. Look my version from your recipe =D http://cozinhalegal.com.br/receita/230/Almondegas_Teriyaki
Any idea how much ginger I’d use if it was pre-grated? I have a paste but don’t know how much to use. It says that 1TB paste = 1 TB fresh chopped ginger…..
Probably about 1 Tbsp. :)
I made these, and they were really great. I’m never buying teriyaki sauce again!
However, question: I noticed that with the teriyaki sauce (and the sriracha glaze) that it doesn’t reheat well in the microwave. I just got this gluey mess. Ay ideas on how to reheat these sauces so they’re nice and smooth again?
I think you can whisk in more water once it’s warmed, but that requires that it be separate from the rest of the ingredients, so I don’t think that will work. Maybe if less cornstarch is used to begin with? I think I’d start experimenting with using less cornstarch.
Just made this and I can’t get enough of it! Substituted apple cider vinegar for the rice vinegar. Didn’t detract from the recipe as far as I can tell. Seriously, thank you for this recipe!
I made this tonight and it was a big hit! I did substitute half the soy sauce with pineapple juice (from the can of pineapple rings that I served with the meal) so it wouldn’t be quite as strong. It was perfect and the whole family really liked it. Steamed broccoli and pineapple rings were great with it! I’ve pinned a ton of your recipes to try and your blog is my new favorite! Thanks so much!
I love this recipe just as it is but I have to tell you tonight I took my leftover meatballs n’ sauce, sliced them and put them on a soft white bun (the italian bakery at the end of our street sells them for 4 for a dollar!) with shredded carrot, sliced cucumbers, a handful of fresh cilantro, mayo and a good squirt of sriracha. It was amazing! Like a Bánh mì sandwich! It was sloppy and delicious – I might even double the recipe next time just so I can make more sandwiches!
Great recipe! I actually forgot to cover the meatballs so they came out a bit dry, but still delicious. I actually had chinese sausage on hand so just to experiment, mixed it with beef. Turned out with so much flavor! Will definitely make this again
I’m going to make these tonight. I don’t have any pork so I will make them with ground beef. That being the case, and suggestion how long to bake the meatballs for?
They should cook in the same amount of time :)
Very tasty. I used beef as I avoid pork and I think it lacked a bit of umami as a result but still turned out well. I fried the meatballs in coconut oil rather than baking; I think it only added to it. If you don’t enjoy salt like my self I would suggest using a low sodium soy sauce (I’ll be doing this next time).
Thank you for the very tasty recipe!
Just made it – SO GOOD! I am wondering about the measurement on the ginger though. Any idea if it’s approximately a tbsp? Or tsp? Depending on where I break off my knob from, some 2″ long pieces are about 2″ thick where others are less than an inch thick so the amount can really vary. Mine came out excellent but very prevalent ginger taste.
It’s really flexible, so if you add a little more or less it doesn’t matter, so you don’t have to worry about the girth. Probably about 1 tablespoon grated, packed.
I doubled the recipe and used the remainder to make teriyaki burgers. They turned out great! When I find pork on sale again I’ll make a huge batch and fill my freezer with both.