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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
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 baking dish and using a paper towel, gently wipe down the inside of the dish.
- Place the cooked meatballs back into the dish 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.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I want to try this! Having difficulty getting the red boat fish sauce. Any substitution suggestions? Thanks!
you don’t have to add fish sauce; however, it does add a lovely boost of umami flavor!
These were amazing! Loved by the whole family, even the 15 mos old. Served with rice and roasted carrots. Saving this recipe for the future!
Hi Alex, made this tonight and it was delicious! Do you know if this recipe will work well with ground chicken or Turkey as well? Thank you!!
yes!! I would just opt for ground chicken/turkey dark meat so it doesn’t dry out easily!
Making this tonight i’m so excited! I dont have arrowroot Flour however- could i sub almond flour or regular flour?
Almond flour should be fine for this recipe!
Sounds delicious! Any suggestions on making this as a meal prep item and storing it?
I would roll the meatballs and have them ready to just throw in the oven for best results!
So tasty! 1st two times I made this was pre-Jan Whole30 and both times I served with coconut rice. Bomb. I have used the sauce for stir fry dishes on days I just don’t know what to cook or prep.
If I could I would post pics here because I sure did take pics- your dishes make my cooking look beautiful!
Ill look into if I can add photos to comments!!!
Could I sub apple cider vinegar in the sauce recipe?
Absolutely spectacular! I would double the amount of sauce as my only critique.. but that could be my error as I forgot to add the broth/sesame oil. I got distracted!
delish!! had to add a bit more ginger and garlic for seasoning. the entire family loved. we had with rice and broccoli!!
Alex, you’ve done it again!!! These were AMAZING!!!!!! Made with quinoa and roasted broccoli and Brussels on the side and made extra sauce to drizzle on the veggies! Thank you so much!
Making this tonight and got so thrown off by this saying baking dish at the top and later on a skillet
I’m sorry!! that was confusing, I just edited that!