Apricot-Teriyaki Meatballs

My boys could eat sweet and sour meatballs several nights a week. I suppose I could too! I like making my own sauce from scratch because I change it every time. This time, I had apricot preserves on hand, so I used that as the base (it's the sweet that counters the soy sauce and rice vinegar). Teriyaki sauce is just that: the perfect balance of sweet and savory. You can also use orange marmalade - that works great too. You'd just have to change the name to "Orange-Teriyaki Meatballs"!

Note: I like to bake my meatballs because I think it's less messy and helps eliminate much of the fat - even lean beef seems to produce a decent amount of grease. If you want, you can cook the meatballs in a large skillet before adding the sauce; just make sure to drain away all the fat from the pan first. 

Note: This also works great with ground chicken and turkey. 

Apricot-Teriyaki Meatballs
Make sure to serve the meatballs and sauce over rice or couscous so you don't miss a drop of the sauce! 

1 pound lean ground beef
Salt and ground black pepper
3/4 cup apricot preserves
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, divided
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, regular or seasoned
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl, combine the beef and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Mix well and shape the mixture into 16 meatballs. Arrange the meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan or high-sided skillet, combine the preserves, 1/2 cup of the water, soy sauce, vinegar, oil, garlic powder, and onion. Whisk until blended. Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Whisk the cornstarch and remaining 2 tablespoons of water together and add the mixture to a pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute, until mixture thickens. Add the meatballs and simmer for 5 minutes.

Serves 4