Korean Meatballs and Noodles
Updated Feb. 25, 2021
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1pound ground beef, preferably short rib and chuck
- 1½tablespoons honey
- 1teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1tablespoon Asian sesame oil
- 1tablespoon rice vinegar
- ⅓cup chopped peeled Bosc or Asian pear
- ¼cup chopped onion
- ½tablespoon grated ginger
- 3tablespoons soy sauce
- 2cloves garlic, minced
- 1large egg, beaten
- ⅓cup dry bread crumbs, preferably whole wheat
- 6ounces udon noodles or linguine
- 2tablespoons gochujang, or ketchup seasoned with 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 3scallions, trimmed and slant-cut
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
467 calories; 12 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 56 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 36 grams protein; 1093 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place beef in a bowl.
- Step 2
Combine honey, black pepper, sesame oil, vinegar, pear, onion, ginger, soy sauce and half the garlic in a food processor or blender and whirl until well blended. Mix with beef. Add egg and bread crumbs and mix again. Form into 1½-inch balls and arrange on the baking sheet with a bit of space between them. Place in the oven and bake 20 minutes.
- Step 3
While meatballs bake, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and boil 5 minutes for udon, about 8 minutes for linguine. Reserve ⅔ cup of the pasta water, then drain pasta.
- Step 4
When meatballs are done, transfer them to a bowl and scrape pan juices into a sauté pan. Heat on medium, add remaining garlic and cook briefly until it starts to color. Whisk in gochujang, then pasta water. Simmer about 3 minutes, until sauce reduces and starts to thicken. Reduce heat to low, add noodles and toss in sauce. Add meatballs and mix gently. Transfer to a warm serving dish or individual bowls, scatter with scallions and serve.
Private Notes
Comments
I baked the meatballs in a 12 inch cast iron skillet, which made the pan sauce a breeze. Also used half ground beef and half ground pork, and a Braeburn apple. Recipes doubles well.
I didn't think the assertiveness and sweetness of the gochujang would complement udon or pasta so I stuck with serving the meatballs in the traditional manner with regular kalbi or bulgogi with short grain rice, kimchi and lettuce. It was fantastic. Next time I will consider adding cilantro to the meatball mixture.
As a Korean American, I love to increase the flavor, so I increased to a teaspoon of grated ginger, a teaspoon of black pepper and upped the garlic to six cloves. Tastes great. Definitely recommend greasing the foil to prevent burns. Also, to get the pan juices, drain them about halfway in (you'll be cooking them in the sauce pan so no need to worry about bacteria) before the juices evaporate and start burning. I also did half gochujang and half ketchup for my kids and it was just right.
Is there any point in making these with chicken or turkey or would that change the flavor too much? We don't eat beef... thanks!
I forgot to buy a pear for this so I used a pretty mild apple and it turned out pretty good still! This was delicious, I almost wish I had bought baby bok choy to add to it because it does feel like it needs a veg or two! But still very delicious and I’ll definitely make this again
Meatball was great, texture was too uniform. Try mixing by hand (not fork) and mincing a little onion/scallion/pear directly into meat. Poss too much bread. Served with rice, kimchi, quick cucumbers and Asian salad.
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