Meatballs in Sweet Teriyaki Sauce (AIP)

Meatballs seem to be a classic party favorite.  But they are also a great dinner choice!  Served with a side dish of mashed potatoes, over noodles, or just by themselves they make a great meal.

This recipe incorporates a sweet teriyaki sauce that is incredibly simple to make and will please the tastebuds of any age or food preference.  It’s light yet satisfying.  It’s subtle yet oh so tasty.  Best of all, it’s made with natural ingredients!

Meatballs in a Sweet Teriyaki sauce (AIP)
AIP Sweet Teriyaki Meatballs.

Sorry that the picture isn’t more elegant. I was so excited to eat them I forgot about taking a picture until I was putting the leftovers away for tomorrows lunch!

Some readers of this recipe may be unfamiliar with what AIP is.  AIP stands for Autoimmune Protocol – it’s a specific diet for those with an autoimmune disorder that helps them to manage their symptoms.  (NOTE: I use diet in the sense of what you eat, not a fad you follow for a few months.)  That said, this recipe is designed for anyone regardless of what diet you follow, and your family will appreciate that you made this recipe for them.  There are some ingredients on the list that may seem unfamiliar – substitution options are listed after the recipe, so don’t get scared off by that.

I hope you enjoy this meatballs in sweet teriyaki sauce recipe and would love to hear your comments and feedback!

 

Meatballs in Sweet Teriyaki Sauce (AIP)
Print Recipe
Meatballs are a classic dish that dinner guests always seem to gravitate to. This recipe sidesteps the classic preparation however of using a tomato or BBQ sauce and instead entices the taste buds with a sweet teriyaki sauce that is sure to please.The sweet teriyaki sauce is sweet yet not overpowering, flavorful yet not salty. It compliments the meatballs in a way that will make this recipe a new favorite in your household.
Servings Prep Time
3 people 20 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
3 people 20 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Meatballs in Sweet Teriyaki Sauce (AIP)
Print Recipe
Meatballs are a classic dish that dinner guests always seem to gravitate to. This recipe sidesteps the classic preparation however of using a tomato or BBQ sauce and instead entices the taste buds with a sweet teriyaki sauce that is sure to please.The sweet teriyaki sauce is sweet yet not overpowering, flavorful yet not salty. It compliments the meatballs in a way that will make this recipe a new favorite in your household.
Servings Prep Time
3 people 20 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
3 people 20 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Ingredients
Meatballs
Teriyaki Sauce
Servings: people
Instructions
Teriyaki Sauce
  1. Peel and juice the oranges. 1/2 cup is desired.
  2. Mix the coconut aminos and sea salt with the orange juice. Set aside for the time being.
Meatballs
  1. Heat a large skillet on a medium-low heat burner. Add the olive oil to the pan.
  2. When the olive oil is warm, add the ginger and sauté for about 1 minute. Then add the garlic and onion. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until the onion is slightly translucent and the garlic just starts to brown. Remove the mixture from the pan immediately and transfer to a medium sized mixing bowl. Allow to cool.
  3. Add the remaining meatball ingredients to the mixing bowl. Using your hands, mix it all together, incorporating the spices into the meat.
  4. Break off a chunk of meat and roll it between the palms of your two hands to form a meat ball. Set on a plate. Continue until all of the meat has been rolled into balls. 24 meatballs are desired from this recipe. (See note below) Set the meatballs on a plate until they are all rolled.
  5. Heat the large skillet again over a medium burner. Once warm, place all of the meatballs in the skillet and cover. Let them brown for 2-3 minutes, then roll them over to another side and continue to brown the meatballs. Continue to do this process until the meatballs are mostly browned on the outside.
  6. Add the teriyaki sauce mixture to the pan. Cover and let boil over medium heat for 5 minutes
  7. Sprinkle the arrowroot starch/flour into the teriyaki sauce. Try to get it on the liquid and not the meatballs - you may have to move them aside in the pan for a moment. Stir the sauce to incorporate the arrowroot starch/flour. Let cook for another 5 minutes.
  8. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes

Recipe Tips/Tricks

  • I own a juicer, and thus used that to make the orange juice.  And it was fantastic and super quick.
  • When rolling the meatballs I find that dividing the meat into smaller chunks allows you to easily make consistent sized meatballs.  For example, this recipe should yield 24 meatballs.  To achieve that, separate the whole pound of meat in half (1/2 pound = 12 meatballs) and then separate those two chunks in half again (1/4 pound = 6 meatballs).  I then do this once more, separating each chunk in half once again (1/8 pound = 3 meatballs).  This process makes it easy for the mind to visualize that all the pieces are the same size.  Now you separate each of these smaller 8 chunks into 3 for your meatballs.  While this seems like a lot of work, you can do it one chunk at a time, and once you've done it a time or two it goes pretty slick and ensures that your meatballs are very consistent in size and that you get the number of meatballs you had desired from the recipe.
  • The purpose of the arrowroot starch/flour is to thicken up the sauce.

Substitutions

As this recipe is written, it is designed for the AIP diet.  If you are not following the AIP diet you could make some substitutions if you'd like.

  • Coconut Aminos could be substituted with Soy Sauce.
  • Arrowroot Starch/Flour could be substituted with Tapioca Starch/Flour or Corn Starch.
  • Pepper or other spices could be added to the meatball mixture
  • Liver or other offal could be incorporated into the meat mixture if you'd prefer.  Liver is a great addition to any AIP diet, and mixing it into a meatball is a perfect way to eat it if you aren't crazy about the taste.  You can dice it very fine and mix it in while mixing the meatballs, however it's tough to dice well.  The best way to mix it is to grind it with a meat grinder - ask your local butcher, they may do it for you.