Cheeseburgers on China: What's For Dinner Wednesday: Sweet and Spicy Meatballs

Hi! It's Wednesday and I'm cooking up something yummy that will satisfy your picky kids and your need to eat something that is NOT BLAND KID FOOD!

This is one of our favorites. The meatball recipe is one that I use a ton and it can be easily adapted to whatever you are cooking by just adding some seasoning and spices. For example, if I'm making Italian meatballs I will add fresh oregano and thyme. For Asian, I use a Hoisin based sauce…a very versatile meatball, if I do say so myself!!! The low heat for baking ensures that these babies won't dry out and they are easy to freeze if you have extra!

Sweet and Spicy Meatballs

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

1lb ground beef (or turkey if you prefer)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 clove garlic

salt/pepper to taste

Sauce (adapted from Table For Seven's recipe):

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

1/3 cup honey

2 TBSP soy sauce

1 clove minced garlic

1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste!)

Pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees. Spray olive oil (I use olive oil in a Misto) or cooking spray on a cookie sheet. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Form into balls (this usually makes about 30, 1-inch balls). Arrange on cookie sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes.

At this point I will set aside about 6-8 meatballs for my kids and save the rest for the "adult sauce" below. Because hey, even I'm smart enough not to try to compete with ketchup as my kids' "dip it"!

Moving on...

In a large saucepan, combine all of the sauce ingredients. (I use 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes for a nice kick!) Mix over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and sauce is combined.

Stir in cooked meatballs and enjoy!