Baked Mongolian Beef Meatballs

One of the most popular recipes from my blog is this Whole30 Mongolian Beef. It’s been around forever, and you guys just can’t get enough of it. Another thing that *everyone* loves is MEATBALLS. So when I had some ground beef the other night in my fridge but was craving Mongolian Beef I thought, let’s make Mongolian Beef Meatballs. Great decision. 

With this recipe, everything is done right in your oven to help make for an easier clean up and less brain work. The end result is a delightful new savory meatball recipe that will scratch the itch for your take-out chinese cravings in a fun, new Whole30 way. I love that these meatballs can be served for dinner (alongside some rice, cauliflower rice, sauteed veggies, or roasted veggies) OR they could make for a super fun appetizer at a party! I’ll leave that up to you. 

I get my grass-fed, grass-finished beef products from ButcherBox, which you an learn more about here. Right now, ButcherBox is proud to offer the Defined Dish community ground beef for life + $20 off your first order! All new members will receive 2 pounds of pasture-raised, 100% grass-fed and grass-finished ground beef in every box for the lifetime of their subscription. Ground beef is always great to have on-hand in your freezer for last-minute meals, so take advantage of this great offer.  Ground Beef for life ends on 3/29/2020, but you can always click the link for the most up-to-date offer.

Baked Mongolian Beef Meatballs

Serves: 4 people

Print

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time40 mins

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 2 lbs. ground beef 85% lean
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos I like Big Tree Farms Brand
• 2 tbsp arrowroot flour
• 1/2 tsp finely and freshly grated ginger about 1/2 inch knob of ginger, peeled
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp white pepper black pepper is okay, too
• 1/3 cup chopped green onion white and light green parts only

For the Sauce:

• 1.5 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 3 tbsp coconut aminos
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp red boat fish sauce
• 2 tsp arrowroot flour
• 1/4 cup beef broth
• 1 tbsp ketchup I use Primal Kitchen unsweetened
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper [or more if you like it hot] optional, for spicy

For Serving:

• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1/4 thinly sliced green onions green part only

Instructions

Make the Meatballs:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and drizzle oil in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
• In a large bowl, place the ground beef, egg, coconut aminos, arrowroot, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper and green onion. Using your hands, mix until the meat is just combined (try not to overwork the meat and over mix here).
• Roll into 1.5 inch round meatballs and place in the prepared baking dish. Bake in the oven until cooked through and lightly browned on the edges, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the sauce:

• In a small bowl, combine all of the 'for the sauce' ingredients and whisk until well combined. Set aside until the meatballs are done.

Finish the Meatballs:

• When the meatballs are browned and cooked through, remove them from the oven (but keep the oven on). Using tongs, carefully transfer the cooked meatballs to a paper towel lined plate. Discard the excess fat in the bottom of the skillet and using a paper towel, gently wipe down the inside of the pan.
• Place the cooked meatballs back into the skillet and pour sauce over the meatballs. Transfer back into the oven and cook until the sauce has thickened, about 8 minutes.
• Remove from oven and transfer meatballs to a serving plate. Spoon sauce over the meatballs and then garnish with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.