These meatballs don’t have a super strong Korean flavor – they’re more like Korean-ish. They do, somehow, have a smokier flavor that calls to mind Korean BBQ, which I think is the ultimate goal of this NY Times recipe. I’m not sure how they accomplished that flavor since there are so few ingredients, but it worked so this recipe was workin for me.
Note: I drizzled the zukes with olive oil, sesame oil, salt, and pepper. Sesame oil isn’t necessary, but it’s kinda nice.
In a bowl, combine [by hand] 1 lb ground beef, 1/2 c. chopped scallions (white and light green parts), 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce, 2 tbsp minced garlic, 1/2 c. crushed Ritz crackers (or any other buttery crackers), and some salt and pepper. Shape the meat mixture into 12 meatballs and bake in a 425 oven for 15 minutes. Serve with rice.
I served mine on a Thursday – what has become our standard bowl night – so I turned it into a DIY situation. I baked the meatballs with zucchini (1-2, sliced into half moons) and one jalapeño with the ribs/seeds removed. I served the meatballs with rice, the zucchini, the roasted jalapeño (minced), sesame seeds, and the the greens from some of the leftover scallions.
This is a total weeknight meal. It came together in 25 minutes total, including, prep and cleanup. My beau said he wished there was a bit of sauce for the bowls, but I didn’t feel like it was missing anything and I think that’s because I used the jalapeños and he didn’t. After roasting and finely chopping them, the jalapeño became almost jammy consistency that gave me those creamy vibes I use a sauce for. Since the seeds and ribs were removed it didn’t make anything too spicy – just flavor and texture here. If that doesn’t do it for you, some extra soy sauce or maybe some kimchi would be up your alley.
Peaches to Apples 