General Tso Meatballs have lots of vegetables inside - but your kids won't know it. These hidden vegetable beef meatballs are covered in a sticky and delicious glaze that will have you going back for more!
The beef meatballs incorporate fresh ginger for a bite that cuts through the sweet sauce, for a perfectly balanced and rich dinner.
General Tso Meatballs are not only are they incredibly tasty, they are filled with hidden vegetables, so they contain a good serve of your daily fibre and greens.
The trick is to finely grate your vegetables so they have a fine texture that melts into the meatballs and is well hidden - your child (or partner, if you have a fussy eater on your hands) won't even know they are there.
The meatballs are finished in a sticky and delicious sauce that is so gooey, tasty and wonderful - you'll want to eat these again and again.
What ingredients do you need to make General Tso Meatballs?
- Beef mince - I used lean mince and they came out really well. You could also use a higher fat content version if you like, but it is not necessary for the flavour.
- Hidden veggies (or aromatics) - ginger, green onion, garlic, coriander, carrot and cinnamon.
- Bind with cornflour and egg.
- Sauce - beef stock, dark soy sauce, hoisin, rice wine vinegar, maple syrup.
- Serve with cooked rice.
Top tip when making General Tso Meatballs
There are 2 important tips
- The meatballs will be soft to touch because of the vegetables, egg and cornflour. When cooking, manipulate them gently so they retain their form.
- We will reduce the sauce to a glaze, but very quickly it will become too reduced. You want some liquid to serve the meatballs with, so as a rule, stop reducing the sauce as soon as you suspect it might be close to being ready.
Substitutions
- Gluten free - swap dark soy for tamari and brown sugar. Use GF hoisin sauce.
Kid-Friendly Variations
- Kids will enjoy this dinner - simply serve meatballs and rice separately and skip the coriander and green onion garnish for kids.
Equipment
You will need a casserole dish or frying pan, a stovetop, a microwave.
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Recipe
Equipment
- Casserole dish or frying pan (large enough to fit all the balls in one layer)
- Stovetop
- Microwave
Ingredients
- ½ bunch green onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cm fresh ginger
- 1 carrot large
- ½ bunch coriander cilantro
- 500 g beef mince
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup cornflour 60 g
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- ¼ cup vegetable oil 60 ml
- ½ cup beef stock 125 ml
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar sub white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 450 g microwave rice
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Roughly chop coriander leaves and finely chop stalks. Trim and finely slice green onions. Add coriander stalks and whites from green onions to a large bowl. Mince garlic, peel and finely grate ginger, finely grate carrot and add to the bowl.½ bunch green onions, 2 cloves garlic, 2 cm fresh ginger, 1 carrot, ½ bunch coriander
- Add beef, egg, sesame oil, cinnamon and cornflour to the bowl and mix.2 cloves garlic, 2 cm fresh ginger, 1 carrot, 500 g beef mince, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ cup cornflour, 1 pinch salt and pepper, ½ bunch coriander
- Roll mince into golf ball sized balls and set aside on a plate.
- Heat a large non-stick frying pan (large enough to fit all the balls in one layer) on high, and add vegetable oil. Add meatballs and cook, turning every so often, until seared on all sides (8 mins). Meanwhile continue to the next step.
- Mix beef stock, dark soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar (or white vinegar) and maple syrup in a jug.½ cup beef stock, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoon hoisin sauce, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 450 g microwave rice, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- Add sauce to the pan and simmer for 4-6 mins, spooning sauce over the meatballs every so often. Once the sauce starts to thicken and reduce, remove from the heat. Meanwhile, heat rice in the microwave.
- Serve meatballs over rice, topped with remaining green onion, coriander leaves and sesame seeds.Kids may prefer meatballs and rice without spring onion or sesame seeds.1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Steph Likes to eat
This was so good! The kids gobbled it up!