These Hello Fresh Firecracker Meatballs bring a unique twist to classic meatballs with a fiery, sweet, and creamy sauce that packs a punch. Serve these flavorful meatballs as an appetizer or pair them with green beans and rice for a complete meal the whole family will love!
Why You’ll Love This Firecracker Meatballs Recipe
These Hello Fresh Firecracker Meatballs are a spin on traditional beef meatballs that you didn’t know you needed. The tender meatballs combine ground beef with Asian flavors, while the creamy sauce you top them with is both sweet and spicy.
This Firecracker Meatballs recipe adds some healthy swaps that are different from the original Hello Fresh recipe. Don’t worry though, these swaps just add a bit more nutrition and don’t alter the great flavors of this recipe!
This recipe also includes tender green beans for more fiber and antioxidants. Simply pair these meatballs and green beans with brown rice or jasmine rice to make it a complete meal. These meatballs are a great option for meal prep or a quick weeknight dinner.
Alternatively, these make a great appetizer too…just skip the green beans and serve the meatballs with the spicy firecracker sauce at your next party!
Ingredients You’ll Need
This recipe uses a combination of fresh ingredients and pantry staples that you probably already have on hand! Here’s what you’ll need.
Spicy Meatballs Ingredients
- Ground Beef. The main protein source for these Firecracker Meatballs. You can also easily substitute ground pork, ground turkey, ground chicken, or a combination of any of these ground meats.
- Panko Breadcrumbs. These help to bind the ground meat together into meatballs. You can use any type of breadcrumbs you prefer if you don’t have panko breadcrumbs easily available to you.
- Soy Sauce. I used low sodium soy sauce in my recipe. If you use traditional soy sauce, you may just want to go lighter on the amount of salt you add in. Alternatively, you can use tamari or coconut aminos if you prefer.
- Garlic. Fresh garlic is preferred since it has a more robust flavor profile. I highly recommend using a garlic press to make this tedious process significantly easier!
- Ginger. Using fresh ginger is also recommended here for a bolder flavor. If you’re not familiar with fresh ginger or don’t use it routinely, you can simply freeze the entire leftover ginger root – just place the entire thing in a freezer bag and put it right into your freezer. You can pull the frozen ginger root out and grate it right from frozen (no thawing necessary!).
- Salt & Pepper.
Spicy + Savory Firecracker Sauce Ingredients
- Mayonnaise. I like this mayo brand that uses avocado oil and has minimal ingredients. Mayo provides half of the creamy base for the firecracker sauce.
- Greek Yogurt. This ingredient is different from the traditional Hello Fresh recipe. It replaces the usual sour cream. Greek yogurt will give you more protein, calcium, vitamin D, and probiotics than sour cream will. I recommend using a whole milk plain Greek yogurt since the flavor will be most comparable to sour cream.
- Honey. This adds a touch of sweetness to the sauce to help balance out the spicy flavors. You can also substitute agave syrup, maple syrup, allulose or your favorite sweetener. You can also omit this entirely if you’re trying to limit added sugars in your diet or prefer a less sweet sauce.
- Sriracha. This vibrant chili sauce provides the zesty zing to your spicy firecracker sauce. Adjust the amount based upon your spice preference.
Green Beans Ingredients
- Green Beans. These green veggies go great with these Firecracker Meatballs! I love adding a little bit of the sauce on top of the green beans too. If you’re not a fan of green beans, you can easily substitute broccoli, snap peas, or asparagus.
- Olive Oil. This healthy fat source is a great addition to any dish! You can drizzle the olive oil over the green beans, like the recipe says…or you can grab one of these oil sprayers for a more even distribution of oil for all of your veggies!
- Salt, Pepper & Garlic Powder.
How To Make Firecracker Meatballs
Alright, now, the fun part: making the recipe! Here’s how you’re going to make this recipe.
First, you’re going to preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Next, you’re going to make the meatball mixture. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, panko breadcrumbs, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper together. Mix well with your hands then roll into small balls, approximately 1½-inch diameter. You should get about 12 to 15 meatballs. Place meatballs on one half of a lightly oiled baking sheet.
Tip: use parchment paper on your baking sheet to decrease the mess!
On the other half of the baking sheet (or on a separate baking sheet), spread the trimmed green beans into a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.
Place the baking sheet with the meatballs and green beans on the top rack of the preheated oven. Roast for about 13 to 15 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through and green beans are tender.
While the meatballs and green beans are roasting, you’ll make your sauce. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, greek yogurt, honey, and sriracha. Set aside.
Once they’re cooked through, remove the meatballs and green beans from the oven. Drizzle meatballs with the spicy sauce. Top with chopped scallions, green onions, and/or sesame seeds.
Optionally, serve the firecracker meatballs and green beans with rice or noodles such as white rice, brown rice, or coconut rice. If you’re following a low-carb diet or simply trying to get more vegetables in, you could pair this firecracker meatball recipe with cauliflower rice or put them into lettuce wraps too.
Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Tip: You can also meal prep extra meatball mixture to make at a later date too. Simply form the meatballs from the raw meat mixture then place in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Variations & Substitutions
- Gluten Free: substitute tamari or coconut aminos for the soy sauce and use GF breadcrumbs or almond flour instead of panko breadcrumbs.
- Soy Free: opt for coconut aminos or soy-free liquid aminos instead of soy sauce.
- Dairy Free: substitute a non-dairy yogurt for the Greek yogurt or simply replace Greek yogurt with more mayo. If you’re replacing the Greek yogurt with more mayo, you can optionally add ½ to 1 tsp of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to mimic the tangy flavor that Greek yogurt typically provides.
- Swap ground beef out for ground turkey, ground pork, or another ground meat of your choice.
- If you’re not a spicy fan, decrease the amount of sriracha used in the firecracker sauce. You could also increase the sweetness by adding more honey to the sauce or adding a bit of brown sugar to the meatball mixture.
- To increase the spiciness, add red pepper flakes to the meatball mixture or the sauce. Additionally, add more garlic or ginger to increase the flavor profile.
- Substitute broccoli, snow peas, or asparagus for the green beans.
Other Recipes You’ll Love
Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Hash
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Firecracker Meatballs (Hello Fresh Copycat Recipe)
Ingredients
For The Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ginger chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
For The Spicy Sauce
- 2 tbsp mayo
- 2 tbsp greek yogurt plain
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 tsp sriracha
For The Green Beans
- 12 oz green beans trimmed
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, panko breadcrumbs, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper together. Mix well with your hands then roll into small balls, approximately 1½-inch diameter. You should get about 12 to 15 meatballs. Place meatballs on one half of a lightly oiled baking sheet.
- On the other half of the baking sheet (or on a separate baking sheet), spread the trimmed green beans into a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.
- Place meatballs and green beans in the preheated oven and roast for about 13 to 15 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through and green beans are tender.
- While meatballs and green beans are roasting, make your sauce. In a small bowl, combine mayo, greek yogurt, honey, and sriracha.
- Once cooked through, remove meatballs and green beans from the oven. Drizzle meatballs with sauce. Top with chopped scallions and sesame seeds if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
The post Firecracker Meatballs (Hello Fresh Copycat Recipe) appeared first on The PCOS Nutritionist Alyssa.