Honey Garlic-Glazed Meatballs

These tender, juicy meatballs tossed in a sweet savory glaze has been a favorite in our family for many years. We have cooked them for many weeknight dinners, holiday meals, special occasions and even a few weddings. (Did you guys know I catered a few weddings?)

They are some of the most tender meatballs I have ever eaten. Ketchup, soy sauce, honey and garlic come together in a great union to make a perfect complement for these moist and tender little morsels of beef. I certainly appreciate that I have most of these in my pantry/fridge most anytime, so I can whip them up anytime. My mom found this recipe many years ago in a Taste of Home magazine, and we’ve been making them ever since. Expect to be wowed and to get rave reviews and recipe requests from all your guests.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

2 lbs ground beef

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

3/4 cup milk

1 onion, finely minced

2 eggs

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Sauce:

1/2 Tablespoon butter

2-4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup honey

3/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup soy sauce

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil.

Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk until all the milk is absorbed by the bread. Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs together.
IMG_6551Form small meatballs, about 1 Tablespoon each and place on prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 12-14 min. Don’t overcook the meatballs, or they will become tough. Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a medium pot or large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for about 5 min. Add the meatballs to the sauce and cook for about 7 min, until cooked through. Once again, don’t cook them in the sauce too long either, or the meatballs will become tough. Make Ahead:

This is a great recipe to make ahead. Bake the meatballs ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator. You can even freeze the meatballs. Simply place in the freezer in a single layer until frozen solid and place in a ziptop bag or plastic container. Thaw the meatballs and continue with the recipe. The sauce takes no time at all to make, so I usually make it on the spot, but you can make it ahead of time also. 

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Honey Garlic-Glazed Meatballs

  • Author: Taste of Home
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 23 mins
  • Total Time: 33 mins
  • Yield: 60-63 meatballs 1x
  • Category: Entree

Ingredients

Scale

Meatballs:

  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 onion, finely minced
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper

Sauce:

  • 1/2 Tablespoon butter
  • 24 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 3/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil.
  2. Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk until all the milk is absorbed by the bread.
  3. Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs together.
  4. Form small meatballs, about 1 Tablespoon each and place on prepared baking sheets.
  5. Bake for 12-14 min. Don’t overcook the meatballs, or they will become tough.
  6. Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a medium pot or large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
  7. Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds.
  8. Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for about 5 min.
  9. Add the meatballs to the sauce and cook for about 7 min, until cooked through.

Make Ahead:

  1. Bake the meatballs ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator.
  2. You can even freeze the meatballs. Simply place in the freezer in a single layer until frozen solid and place in a Ziploc bag or plastic container.
  3. Thaw the meatballs and continue with the recipe. The sauce takes no time at all to make, so I usually make it on the spot, but you can make it ahead of time also.

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