I have to admit – it feels kind of silly to be writing about meatballs just days before Thanksgiving. But I figured that at this point, you most likely have your Thanksgiving menu planned out, but you are still going to need easy recipes for the weeknights – or for those crazy busy nights that are coming up between Thanksgiving and Christmas!!
I have a thing for meatballs, I think. I’ve made them in the slow cooker before. And I’ve made them Asian style before. But I combined them this time – Asian style in the slow cooker!! I actually came up with this when I was in a clean out the fridge mood, and found a bottle of hoisin sauce and a bottle of plum sauce that both needed to be used. What I ended up with was a winner!! And while this isn’t a dump and cook slow cooker meal, I think the extra little bit of effort is totally worth it. I haven’t tried it, but I’m guessing that you could even make these meatballs ahead of time, freeze them, and then slow cook them (adding some extra time if they are frozen). That will make the morning prep even easier!
Meatballs with an Asian flair are made easier by cooking low and slow in the slow cooker.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced (cut this in half if you don't love ginger!)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup plum sauce
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients except vegetable oil. Use your hands and mix lightly, just until mixed. Form into tablespoon sized meatballs. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides. Transfer meatballs to a slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients. Pour over the meatballs.
- Cook in a slow cooker on low for 4-6 hours, or until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve over rice with sliced scallions, if desired.
More meatball inspiration:
Cheesy Chicken Parm Meatballs from Tracey’s Culinary Adentures
Chicken Meatball Stroganoff from One Lovely Life
Meatball Soup with Pasta from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Saucy Onion Meatball Dip Subs from Taste and Tell
These look great!
Extremely flavorful! A wonderful dish.
Cheers,
Rosa
Love the Asian flavor with this! I finally used my slow cooker for the first time this season last week, and I was reminded of how awesome it is! Have to remember to use it more…
I can’t believe you’re blogging just a few days after the arrival of your new little one!
Sososososososo into THIS.
Love saucy asian meatballs! Especially when made in the slow cooker – all the better!
I made these, not the slow cooker kind, but pretty similar to these and they were seriously tasty.
So good even cold as leftovers (in a sandwich).
Sounds amazing and so easy too!
For real. I just drooled on myself. I can almost smell these meatballs Deborah. Seriously….YUM!
I used to hate meatballs growing up and now I cannot resist them. i’m not even kidding!!
I love meatballs and I could eat it all the time. Actually when I’m lazy and I feel like eating some, I go to Ikea. I hope I’ll manage to use your recipe more often than to go to Ikea
If I’m not up to hand-making these meatballs, do you think the sauce would work over the frozen meatballs you can buy at Costco?
@Emily, I totally think just the sauce on frozen meatballs would work. I loved the sauce!
Love this idea!
Easy weeknight meals is always a must! Can’t wait to give these a try. And it’s always a plus that this can be made in the crockpot!
Don’t you just love it when surprises come together magically in those moments of fridge clean outs?
this looks like a serious win Deb. Mr. sweet Butter would love this!
I don’t think it’s crazy – we usually eat Thanksgiving dinner around 2 so we have some appetizers mid-morning. This would be perfect and my family would love these!
I love the sound of that sauce! I have a feeling it could make anything taste amazing.
Love the Asian flavors in these meatballs!
i just posted a meatball recipe too, haha! being a food blogger, sometimes you feel thanksgiving’d out before the holiday even comes. this looks wonderful, i love those flavors.
Love this recipe! I would pour that sauce on everything
This recipe looks great Deborah! Will defiantly be adding to our dinner rotation soon!
Can these be cooked then frozen? I’m making them now and they smell…..wooooooonderrrrfullll!
@Monica, I would guess that they could. I haven’t tried, but I’ve had good luck freezing meatballs in the past.
@Deborah, Thank you…they turned out so well I doubt I’m going to have to freeze anything. .;)
Made this last night as I thought this would be a great homecoming meal tonight for my busy/traveling husband! Of course, I tried one before I threw them in the frig…..YUMMY!
I did substitute the ground beef with ground turkey breast…still awesome. We are big fans of Bison, so I’ll try that next. BTW, you have a wonderful variety of recipes…keep it up! Kindly,
@Maggie, thank you so much!! I’m so glad that you liked the meatballs!
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These are great! We cooked them on low in the crockpot for just 2 hours (they seemed pretty well cooked in the pan while browning them) and QUADRUPLED THE SAUCE! It was delicious served over thin spaghetti noodles.
@Dr Seuss, I’m so happy to hear that you loved them!
made these a couple of weeks ago. They were outstanding. Having them again tonight. This time I doubled the recipe.
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