The meatballs are five things in a bowl: pork and veal mince, breadcrumbs, hoisin sauce, garlic and ginger. Mix, roll them into tablespoon-sized balls, and into a greased dish. The hoisin in the mixture is what seasons them, so there’s no long list of spices to measure out.
They bake for 10 minutes on their own, then the broccoli and sliced onion go in around them and the sauce goes over the lot. The sauce is hoisin, oyster sauce and water, whisked in a bowl while the first 10 minutes happen.
Another 15 minutes and it’s done. Serve it over noodles or rice, which is the only thing you need to cook separately. Ten minutes of prep, 25 minutes in the oven, four serves.
Why You’ll Love It
It’s a tray bake, so the oven does the cooking and there’s no standing over a pan turning meatballs. Grated carrot goes into the mixture and disappears, and there’s a whole bunch of broccoli in the tray, so it’s a dinner with real vegetables in it that still reads as meatballs to whoever’s eating. Pork and veal mince is cheaper than most cuts and it makes tender meatballs without any technique. The sauce is three ingredients, two of which are already in the meatballs, so you’re not buying anything extra for it. Twenty-five minutes in the oven is time you can spend doing something else.
The Shortcut That Makes It Work
Hoisin sauce is doing double duty, and that’s what keeps this simple. It seasons the meatball mixture, which is why there are no herbs or spices to measure, and it’s the base of the sauce that goes over the tray. One jar, two jobs. The other shortcut is the order of the baking: the meatballs get a 10 minute head start on their own, then the vegetables and the sauce go in for the last 15, so everything finishes together in one dish without anything being over or undercooked. No browning the meatballs first, no separate pan for the sauce.
Handy Tips
Don’t work the mince mixture any harder than it takes to combine. Overmixing makes meatballs tight and bouncy, and gently mixed ones stay tender. A tablespoon is a good size and it keeps them even, which matters because uneven meatballs won’t finish at the same time. Grease the dish properly, since the hoisin has sugar in it and it catches. Spread the meatballs out rather than crowding them, so they roast instead of steaming. And if the mixture feels too wet to roll, add a bit more breadcrumb until it holds together.
What To Serve With It
Noodles or rice, which the recipe calls for and which soaks up the sauce. Steamed greens on the side if the broccoli in the tray isn’t enough for your house. That’s really it, since the tray already has the meat and the vegetables in it.
Leftovers / How to Store It
It keeps in the fridge for up to three days in a container. The sauce thickens as it cools and the broccoli softens, so it won’t be as fresh-looking the second time, but the meatballs themselves are good cold or reheated. Add a splash of water when you reheat it to loosen the sauce back up, and heat it gently until it’s warmed through. Leftover meatballs are also good split into a roll for lunch.
Other Recipes You’ll Love
Asian BBQ Meatball Tray Bake
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time
25 minutes 
Total Time 35 minutes 
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 220°C and grease a baking dish.
- In a bowl, mix together the mince, breadcrumbs, hoisin sauce, garlic, and ginger until well combined.
- Form tablespoons of the mixture into balls and place them in the baking dish.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- While the meatballs are baking, whisk together the hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, and water in a bowl to make the sauce.
- Remove the meatballs from the oven, add the broccoli and onion, and pour over the sauce.
- Bake for an additional 15 minutes.
- Serve hot with noodles or rice and enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
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FAQs
Can I use a different mince?
Yes. Pork and veal is what the recipe uses and it makes the most tender meatballs, but plain pork, beef, or a beef and pork mix all work. Chicken mince is much leaner, so it’ll be drier, and I’d add a bit more hoisin to the mixture if you go that way.
What if I haven’t got oyster sauce?
Soy sauce is the closest swap most people have. It’s saltier and less sweet, so add a teaspoon of brown sugar with it to get closer to what oyster sauce was doing.
Can I get the meatballs ready ahead of time?
Yes. Mix and roll them, keep them covered in the fridge for up to a day, and bake them when you want them. The sauce takes 2 minutes to whisk so there’s no point making that ahead.
Can I use frozen broccoli?
Yes, and it doesn’t need thawing. Add it straight from the freezer at the same point, though it releases more water than fresh does, so the sauce will be a bit thinner by the end.
Are these spicy?
No. Hoisin is sweet, oyster sauce is savoury and there’s no chilli in it anywhere, so it’s a safe one for kids. Add chilli oil at the table if you want heat.
Quick, easy and yummy!
I used lean beef mince instead which made the meatballs a bit dry. I think if
added an egg next time it would be better. Apart from that it was a good recipe.
Thank you Hope, and a good tip when using lean beef mince.