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!
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
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.
You can find these rectangular Pyrex meal prep containers in my Amazon Shop.
Teriyaki Meatball Bowls
Ingredients
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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Enamelware Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Pyrex Glass Meal Prep
- Garlic Press
Nutrition
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
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 saw your recipe at Pinterest and I made it for tonight’s dinner. Great taste and such an Asian kick to itโฆ.love it! thanks
These were great and easy! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
The Teriyaki Meatball Bowls are out of this world! Since I didn’t have ground pork, I used ground turkey, so the meatballs were brown, and sticking to the cookie sheet (even though I did use a LOT of cooking spray!). The meatballs are delicious, and this recipe is a KEEPER!! :-)
I made this twice. Once with beef and once with chicken for a buffet. It was amazing! They ate it all!!!
Very simple and very tasty! I would and will be making this again. the recipe is a keeper!
Thank you for posting and sharing this with us!
I love all your recipes!!
This recipe is golden! My grown son just said he could eat all of what is left! And he said I could make these often! I’m working my way through many of your recipes and adding them to my Pepperplate.com file. Thank you for all these delicious recipes!
These were so good! I threw in some cooked broccoli with the glaze and put it all together for a super quick and tasty dinner. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi I thought these looked delicious and easy, but I was wondering if the bread crumbs were essential? I have celiac disease, and it’s hard to find really good gluten-free breadcrumbs.
They do help bind the meatballs, but you can try using some cooked rice instead. :)
I also have Celiac’s disease and I find that grinding up some certified GF oats in my Magic Bullet works wonderfully as a breadcrumb substitute. For meatballs I also add an egg even if it’s not called for.
This is a super meal, I minced boneless chicken thighs which are relatively inexpensive here in the UK. No rice vinegar but added lemon juice, could have thickened the sauce a bit more as I thinned it to make extra re a comment further down. 5 out of 5
Simple and delicious! I serve it with stir- fried greens to make it a full meal.
Have made this over and over again. Making a quadruple batch tonight so this is a quick-n-easy emergency dinner a few more times this season. Appreciate a sauce from scratch! (as always-that’s why I come here)
Flaver of both meatballs and sauce is pretty intense. Since our children prefer to back it down a bit, I’m using less in the balls, and full flavor in the sauce.
Just made these for dinner. Was good and tasty! I made the meatballs with ground turkey and found that the meatballs stuck to the foil. I’d suggest spraying the foil covered baking sheet with non-stick spray before placing the meatballs on it.
If you use parchment paper instead of foil you’ll have zero sticking. I use the stuff all the time for bacon, cookies, meatballs, etc. :)
Omg soooo yummy!!!! Made this tonight, and the honey spice glazed chicken thighs last night, sooooo good :) can’t wait to make more recipes off this blog !!! So refreshing that their inexpensive but also using real ingredients ( so many recipes include cans of soup etc)
I make these with ground chicken and they are awesome!
The only issue with this recipe for me was the cook time for the meatballs. I figured I’d be on the safe side and set the timer for 30 min. to start. Oops. They were super crispy on top, and black on the bottom. Still, the flavors in this recipe were fantastic, and stewing in the teriyaki helped soften the meatballs up a bit. This recipe is a keeper – with just a little tweak on the cook time :)
Yep, these were amazing . Approved by my husband and my son ! Very delicious !