Make ahead meatballs! Sweet and spicy barbecued meatballs with a Hawaiian flair! My mouth is watering already. These can be served as an appetizer, made ahead, or the main dish for dinner. Making a double batch means leftovers to be frozen or served later in the week with rice, quinoa, or a vegetable stir fry and salad.
Ingredients
Meatballs:
1 ¾ - 2 pounds ground turkey
4 teaspoons minced garlic
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 large eggs
1 cup regular or gluten free Panko breadcrumbs*
½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
Hawaiian BBQ Sauce:
3 tablespoons ketchup
¼ cup coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
½ cup pineapple juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup brown sugar
Directions:
Position 2 racks near the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
In a saucepan, combine the ingredients of the Hawaiian BBQ sauce over medium high heat, allow to come to a boil, reduce the heat so it simmers. Let simmer for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool. The sauce will thicken as it cools so don't worry if it looks thin.
In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, garlic, salt pepper, eggs, panko, paprika, and onion powder. Use your hands to mix all the ingredients together. It's easier to tell when the ingredients are combined when using hands. Do not overmix, it will result in drier meatballs.
Shape the meat mixture into ball, about 2 tablespoons of meat per ball. You can also do this with a cookie scoop. Place shaped meatballs on prepared baking sheet. bake for 11-13 minutes or until the meatballs are completely cooked.
Brush each meatball with the sauce. Place back on the baking sheet and bake for an additional 1-2 minutes. Drizzle or brush with additional sauce as desired.
Notes:
Panko is a Japenese style of breadcrumbs.
A combination of ground chicken and turkey can be used to make these meatballs.
If you would like to serve your meatballs with sauce, I would double the ingredients for the sauce portion as this recipe makes just enough for basting.
The meatball mixture can be prepared the night before and baked the day of.
The meatballs may be frozen after baking and then defrosted and reheated in oven to serve.
Meatballs maybe served in a crockpot as a appetizer or main dish.
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