Korean Meatballs and Noodles Recipe (2024)

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Cooking Notes

Kitchen Gadget Girl

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.

perryan

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.

Lee

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.

Sylvia

Meatballs delicious despite the fact that the pan juices burned off in the oven so could not add anything to the sauce. Woudld recommend greasing the pan slightly to avoid burning buttom of meatballs.

Steve H

The meatballs would be very delicious on bahn mi bread with a gochujang mayonnaise.

Caroline Hwang

By gochujang do you mean 2 tbsp of the hot red paste? Or do you mean 2 tbsp of the paste mixed with sugar and vinegar?

seoul cooker

This dish is great as the cookbook intended, eaten wrapped in leafy greens with scallions and a dab of gochuchang. Perhaps a squirt of sriracha, and an assortment of banchan (little Korean side dishes). And lose the breadcrumbs ... very inauthentic.

We don't need pasta with our Korean meatballs. The original is tastier is and healthier.

P.S. Gochuchang is available in lots of markets, including Whole Foods. Look for the "Mother In Law" brand. Yummy.

Christine

We really enjoyed this dish. And it was meant to be as I found a jar of gochujang at the grocery that very day. Look forward to making this again soon.

ps - 1/3 cup pear was one pear.

Marcel

I usually add one tablespoon each of doenjang (or miso), soy sauce, sake and mirin to the sauce, as well as about one teaspoon of honey. Makes the sauce much more complex and tasty, especially the doenjang.

JudiM

Excellent! I used half ground turkey and half ground chuck for the meatballs and included a bit of cilantro. The udon noodles were a split decision; my husband loved them, I would've preferred linguine.

Thanks to the reviewer who recommended using a potato masher to combine the meatball ingredients.

I used gochujang hot sauce in a 10-oz bottle.

I baked the meatballs as directed, but in a 12" stainless sauté/roasting pan (sprayed), made the sauce in the same pan. A keeper!

Esther

The meatballs were wonderful! We are big Korean food fans, and the whole family like this. I didn't do too well with the gochujang and pasta. I used sweet potato noodles from the Korean store, which were excellent, but I the gochujang I used was too spicy hot. It was still good, but.... Next time I will serve it with romaine leaves, gochujang, kimchi, and rice.

Leobot

The meatballs themselves were good and a snap to make. I baked them in cast iron so that I could just make the sauce in the same pan. Even so, the pasta ended up kind of dry and didn't really integrate much with the meatballs. I think next time I'll just serve them with rice or wrapped in lettuce.

Dr Betsy

Really, really good. You do need to use the higher-fat ground beef, or the recipe comes out a little tame.

CJC

Proposed sauce is not nearly enough

S.F.

Used fine ground kasha, lamb, apple cider vinegar and maple syrup instead of breadcrumbs, beef, rice wine vinegar and honey. An extra egg would have been helpful. Added 1 tsp gochujang to the meat mix, pressed the mixture into a greased 8" square pan and baked it like a loaf. Excellent.

Lisa in NC

Instead of the homemade marinade I used jarred version of kalbi marinade. It made the recipe much quicker and easier for a weeknight. I didn’t use any foil so I was able to deglaze my roasting pan over a burner without dirtying another pan.

robert

I only had Italian breadcrumbs so I made this like a quick and dirty Bolognese and it was excellent

Foodie Farmer

Made as described. Used a small stay with STEEL. roasting pan to make sure the juices were retained, no foil needed. Loved the heat, sweet and deep flavor!

Caro

Loved the flavours of this, esp the sweetness of the honey/pear and tang of other spices. For a lighter dish I served on bed of salad greens

yessie

This was so good! It really hits the spot of spicy, salty, and sweet.

Andrew Smyth

I made this last night and just ate the leftovers for lunch. Thank you Lee and Kitchen Gadget Girl for the great tips. This is a fantastic recipe and really hit the spot.

Lisa

I used Impossible ground beef, it worked but I would leave out the pear because it made the "meat" watery and I couldn't taste it. Still baked nicely but no juices to contribute to the sauce.

Andrew Smyth

The cast iron pan was perfect and gala apple worked well. Thanks for the tips.

Grace

Used Mike’s Hot Honey in the meatballs. 10/10 would recommend if you have some on hand

Charley

Very tasty. The honey, ginger and pear give the meat a distinctive flavor. I don’t like baking meatballs. Dries them out. So I sautéed in a little olive oil. They’re not going to hold their shape, if that matters to you. Used whole wheat vermicelli since I didn’t have udon. Double the sauce.

Heidi S. (Woodinville)

Didn't have fruit so I grated in a small zucchini, and I was little short on the honey (1 tbsp). Based on comments, I wasn't expecting lot pan drippings, so I used more spicy ketchup and onions to bulk out the sauce, which was just enough to dress the meatballs. I loved this recipe. 5 stars!

grace

My kid doesn’t like baked meatballs so I sautéed the meat and combined the rest of the liquid and added after cooking meat, onions, garlic, and ginger. So made a meat sauce. Delicious.

M

heaping 1/4c apple butter, 2T scallion and harrisa, 1T gochugaru and ginger and garlic and soya and hoysin and sesame oil and mirin and rice vinegar

Rachel

This was simultaneously too spicy, too bitter, and too bland. It was also way too fussy for what it was. We used pre-ground beef (90/10), so maybe that was the issue, but we had basically no pan drippings.

Rahul

Completely botched this. I used a peach because I couldn’t find any pears at the grocery store otherwise stuck to the recipe. My meatballs fell apart, I very CLEARLY don’t know how to make udon noodles - but man. Delicious! It may have been a mess but it was a tasty mess.

sarah p

I substituted Impossible meat and omitted the egg and it was a delicious vegan dish. I also upped the garlic and ginger.

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Korean Meatballs and Noodles Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are Korean meatballs made of? ›

Korean meatballs are typically made with ground beef, crumbs, eggs, and Asian flavors like gochujang, garlic, scallions, ginger, and soy sauce.

How to make tight meatballs? ›

Massage your meat

Get your hands into your mixing bowl and combine the ingredients for your meatballs using your fingers. The heat from your hands will help release the proteins in the meat which will in turn help the mixture stick together when it cooks. Don't overmix, just a few minutes will do.

How many carbs are in Korean meatballs? ›

Noodles & Company Korean Bbq Meatballs Sm (1 serving) contains 15g total carbs, 14g net carbs, 34g fat, 17g protein, and 440 calories.

What is the best Korean cooking sauce? ›

Gochujang sauce is most often used in Korean recipes, but its sweet, spicy umami flavor is so delicious that you'll want to drizzle it over everything! As far as flavor goes, there's nothing like gochujang sauce.

What are homemade meatballs made of? ›

Combine beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl. Mix in cheese, eggs, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Add bread crumbs and slowly mix in water, 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture is moist but still holds its shape (I usually use about 1 1/4 cups of water); shape into meatballs.

What is the secret to making tender meatballs? ›

Pay attention to the fat percentage on the ground meat you're using — for ground beef, aim for at least 20 percent fat. Consider the other ingredients. Just ground meat and seasonings will yield only mediocre results. Egg and breadcrumbs are common mix-ins to add moisture and tenderness.

What not to do when making meatballs? ›

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Making Meatballs
  1. Not seasoning the meat.
  2. Not adding any moisture to the meat.
  3. Over-mixing the meat.
  4. Not shaping the meatballs correctly.
  5. Not forming evenly-sized meatballs.
May 1, 2019

Why do my meatballs taste rubbery? ›

If the meatballs are packed together too tightly, they will cook up rubbery, chewy, and tough. If the meatballs are different sizes, they will cook unevenly. The smaller meatballs may end up dry and overcooked, while the larger ones may end up undercooked.

What is the best meat for meatballs? ›

Most meatballs served in marinara sauce are made with a mixture of beef and another ground protein, like pork sausage or veal—or all three. Pork gives the meatballs extra flavor, and veal helps keep them moist and tender.

How many calories in a Korean meatball? ›

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
558Calories
39gFat
27gCarbs
23gProtein
Nov 25, 2023

Why are meatballs not keto? ›

Typically, meatballs contain bread or breadcrumbs as the main ingredient. This helps the balls maintain their shape. The presence of bread is a direct Keto violation, but all is not lost.

Are Noodles and Company meatballs beef? ›

The meatballs are blend of pork, beef, Italian herbs, Parmesan and garlic. Noodles & Company said the meatballs also can be added to any of its 18 menu items, such as Wisconsin Mac & Cheese, Penne Rosa or Mushroom Stroganoff.

What meat are Subway meatballs made from? ›

It contains ground beef, ground pork, bread crumbs, and some seasonings to spice things up. The marinara sauce is likewise basic, containing just a small amount of onion, seasoning, and tomato puree, as well as half a teaspoon of sugar, to sweeten things up.

What are Thai meatballs made of? ›

The meatballs are a pretty simple mix of ground chicken, garlic, ginger, and lots of black pepper. Roll this all together, then pan-fry the meatballs in a bit of olive oil to get them nice and crispy on the outside. At this point, add in the shallots, bell peppers, and peanuts.

What is the binding ingredient in meatballs? ›

For this reason, many recipes will include a binding ingredient like egg, and a filler like breadcrumbs. You only need a small amount of egg – it's there only to help the cooked meatball retain its shape, and shouldn't detract from the meat's flavour or texture.

Why are Vietnamese meatballs chewy? ›

Some of the Bò Viên brands you would find at Asian stores are very chewy due to the hàn the (borax) that is added. In oriental cooking, hàn the used as a cooking ingredient is to add a firm rubbery texture to the food, or as a preservative.

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