Honey Garlic Meatball Rice Bake

 Honey Garlic Meatball Rice Bake

Description:
Juicy honey-garlic meatballs baked with fluffy rice and tender peas in a sweet-savory sauce. An easy, comforting one-pan dinner the whole family will love.

Ingredients:

For the Meatballs:

• 450 g (1 lb) ground beef or ground chicken
• ¼ cup breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

For the Rice Bake:

• 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth or water
• ½ cup frozen peas

For the Honey Garlic Sauce:

• ⅓ cup honey
• ¼ cup soy sauce (low sodium preferred)
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water

Optional Garnish:

• Green onions, sliced
• Sesame seeds

Instructions:

1. Preheat Oven

• Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
• Lightly grease a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking dish.

2. Make the Meatballs

1. In a bowl, mix ground meat, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, salt, and pepper.
2. Form into small meatballs (about 1 inch / 2.5 cm).

3. Prepare the Rice Base

1. Spread uncooked rice evenly in the baking dish.
2. Pour in chicken broth (or water).
3. Sprinkle frozen peas evenly over the rice.

4. Add Meatballs

• Place the meatballs evenly on top of the rice mixture.

5. Make the Honey Garlic Sauce

1. In a bowl, whisk honey, soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, cornstarch, and water until smooth.
2. Pour the sauce evenly over the meatballs and rice.

6. Bake

1. Cover tightly with foil.
2. Bake for 40 minutes.
3. Remove foil and bake an additional 10–15 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through and rice is tender.

7. Serve

• Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
• Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds if desired.

Tips:

• For extra flavor, add a little grated ginger to the sauce.
• Swap peas for broccoli or green beans if you like.
• Works great with ground turkey too!