Pork Meatballs with Watermelon Salad

Pork Meatballs glazed in a soy maple dressing. So quick and easy, and because we make them in the oven there is very little clean up.

In my opinion, pork meatballs are the king of meatballs. Pork mince is juicy, full of flavour (and doesn’t need much seasoning), and holds together well. It crisps up in the oven and doesn’t need to be pan fried to get a crust. I think they’re the best type of meatball you can have (definitely better than beef), and are never dry. Pork mince is also generally cheaper than beef mince, making this a budget friendly meal.

What is in these Pork Meatballs?

These pork meatballs are so simple, they’re made with just four ingredients. 

1. Pork mince
2. Panko breadcrumbs
3. Garlic powder
4. Salt

I also sometimes like to add cinnamon or five spice to these, it gives it a subtly sweet and warming flavour, but that’s up to you.

To make the pork meatballs, simply mix ingredients and roll them out into balls (or whatever shape you want). Because they’ve got a good amount of fat in them, they’ll stick together and you don’t need to use eggs for them to stick together.

Covered with a delicious Asian Glaze

The thing that sets these meatballs apart is the simple Asian glaze we’ll brush over them. The glaze is a mixture of dark soy sauce, maple syrup, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar, all things you will probably have in your pantry (or won’t regret buying them if you don’t have them yet). We’ll brush this over the pork before we pop the meatballs in the oven, and then once again at the 10 minute mark. It’s truly delicious.

What to serve with these Pork Meatballs?

In this recipe we’re going to serve the meatballs on a bed of rice, and serve with a cooling watermelon, mint and feta salad. This salad is the perfect accompaniment to the pork meatballs and rice, and is equally as lovely on its own. It’s really simple to put together, and because of the juices in the watermelon, it doesn’t need a dressing.

Instead of buying crumbled feta, buy feta from the deli section of your supermarket. It will be a lot cheaper (half the price) and is easy to crumb in the bag it comes in.

Substitutions

• Alternative proteins - While I know I went on and on about the benefits of pork mince, you can also use chicken or beef mince instead of pork mince in this recipe, if you don’t eat pork.
• Vegetarian - Use vegan mince. Depending on the brand you use, you may need something to hold it together. Option to use an egg, or a “chia egg” - see how to do this here.
• Dairy Free - Swap feta for chopped kalamata olives.
• Gluten Free - Swap dark soy for tamari. Use Gluten Free Panko breadcrumbs.

Kid-Friendly Variations

• Serve kids slices of watermelon, cucumber and peas, and then rice and pork meatballs.
• Skip the mint and feta.
• Skip the extra dressing.

Equipment

You will need an oven, a baking tray, a microwave.

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