Baked Teriyaki Meatball Lettuce Cups are perfect for entertaining, with juicy meatballs tossed in teriyaki served on lettuce cups with pineapple and rice. A great appetizer!
What are these teriyaki meatball lettuce cups, you ask?
Let me tell you about them!
Juicy meatballs are tossed in a sweet and tangy homemade teriyaki sauce, seasoned with ginger, garlic, and green onion. The meatballs are placed onto a leaf of Boston lettuce for serving with basmati rice, toasted sesame seeds, and pineapple tidbits. Green onions and a few drops of sriracha garnish the meatballs for extra flavor.
David and I ate these baked teriyaki meatball lettuce cups up so fast. It left us wanting more and so very sad that they were all gone.
These baked teriyaki meatballs are practically a flavor explosion inside your mouth. The sweet pineapple tidbits add a tangy sweetness to the teriyaki, and the sriracha gives it just a touch of heat to balance it all out.
Baking Meatballs In a Muffin Tin
The night I made these meatballs, I didn’t feel like standing over the stove. So, I decided to bake the meatballs inside of a muffin pan. This was the first time I had ever used a muffin tin for meatballs, and I was pleased with the results. Here’s why:
- A muffin pan helps you gauge the size of the meatballs, making them more uniform.
- The muffin pan helps the meatballs keep their shape.
- A muffin pan also makes the exterior a little more crunchy.
- It significantly reduces mess instead of using a sheet pan, in which the meatballs can potentially roll around.
Ingredients Needed
A detailed list of ingredients is provided in the recipe card at the end of this post.
For The Meatballs:
- Beef: Ground chuck is best with a 80/20 ratio of lean and fat.
- Onion: thinly sliced scallions
- Rice Vinegar: for tang and flavor
- Aromatics: minced garlic, freshly grated ginger
- Soy Sauce: low-sodium soy sauce helps control the salenity of the meat.
- Cornstarch: aids in binding the meatballs together. Can use an egg if you don’t have any.
- Oil: sesame oil adds great flavor to the meat.
- Pineapple Juice: adds sweetness, tang and delicious flavor to offset the savoriness of the meat.
- Seasoning: Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
For the Teriyaki Sauce: Low-sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil minced garlic, freshly grated ginger, and pineapple juice. Cornstarch and cold water are mixed in to thicken the sauce.
For Serving:
- Butter Lettuce
- Basmati Rice
- Pineapple Tidbits
- Toasted Sesame Seeds
- Sriracha (optional)
- Chopped Scallions (optional)
How To Make Baked Teriyaki Meatball Lettuce Cups
Make the Meatballs:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a mini-muffin pan or baking sheet; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Using a tablespoon of the meat mixture per meatball, form the mixture into balls and place it into the greased pan.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.
Prepare the Sauce:
- Combine the teriyaki sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk together until the sugar has dissolved.
- Make a Slurry: stir together the cornstarch and cold water with a fork, making a slurry. Pour the slurry into the teriyaki sauce; stirring constantly, cook sauce until thickened. (The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.)
Toast the Sesame Seeds:
Toast the sesame seeds until lightly browned.
Sauce the Meatballs:
Transfer cooked meatballs into a large bowl. Pour in the teriyaki sauce and toss gently to coat.
How To Serve Baked Teriyaki Meatballs On Lettuce Cups Serving:
- Place 4 lettuce leaves onto a plate.
- Add a couple of spoonfuls of rice to each lettuce leaf.
- Place 2 meatballs into each lettuce cup with rice.
- Sprinkle each with sesame seeds, a few pineapple tidbits, and green onions, followed by some droplets of sriracha if desired.
Serve these flavorful meatballs as an appetizer or eat them as a meal, but make sure you make enough because this crowd-pleaser will go fast!
Other Meatball Recipes
I’m sharing this over at Fiesta Friday today. Come on over and join in on the fun!
Baked Teriyaki Meatball Lettuce Cups
Ingredients
The Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 large scallions trimmed and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger grated
- 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon pineapple juice
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Teriyaki Sauce
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ⅛ cup brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons ginger fresh grated
- 2 tablespoons pineapple juice Use juice from drained canned tidbits
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup cold water
For Serving
- 6 whole Butter lettuce leaves
- 1 cup Basmati Rice
- 8 ounce canned pineapple tidbits reserve juice, drained
- 1 ½ tablespoons sesame seeds toasted
- Sriracha (optional)
- 3 green onion sliced, (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a mini-muffin pan or baking sheet; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Using a tablespoon of the meat mixture per meatball, form mixture into balls and place into the greased pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and pineapple juice. Whisk together until the sugar has dissolved. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and cold water with a fork, making a slurry. Pour the slurry into the teriyaki sauce; stirring constantly, cook sauce until thickened. (The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.)
- Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds over medium heat in a dry pan for 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer cooked meatballs into a large bowl. Pour in the teriyaki sauce and toss gently to coat.
- To serve, place 4 lettuce leaves onto a plate. Add a couple spoonfuls of rice to each lettuce leaf. Place 2 meatballs into each lettuce cup with rice. Sprinkle each with sesame seeds, a few pineapple tidbits and green onions, followed some droplets of sriracha, if desired.
Dana @ IveGotCake says
Damn this looks and sounds sooo good!!
I’m really liking this one Debbie
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks, Dana. These were amazing! I only wish I had savored them a little more…lol!
Elizabeth says
Debbie….
Do you use basamati rice in the recipe for any particular reason? Is basamati a personal preference? I am a fan of jasmine….just curious.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hey Elizabeth! Trisha Yearwood turned me on to basmati rice. It’s person preference, because I like the long slender grains. Any rice you choose will work just as well. Enjoy the recipe (and make extra ;)!
Colleen says
These look super yum Debbie…even better with the rice left off. I still can’t be a fan of plain ol’ rice…I just don’t have it in me!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks, Colleen! It’s more about texture, but sure won’t hurt if you left it off! Have a good weekend!!
Julie says
These meatball cups look delicious, and teriyaki meatballs sound amazing!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks, Julie! These were delicious and have inspired me to do something else. Stay tuned…
Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook says
Debbie, I really love the sound of this. Though I love lettuce wraps, I must admit that I prefer eating the teriyaki meatballs with a good cup of white rice. 😀 But I will definitely try with lettuce wraps. Well, I guess I can do both, yeah? Thanks a lot for sharing – now, I have a new recipe to add to my list. x
Question: I know it may sound weird, but I am not sure if the butcher knows (because I always ask the one near my home) about the chuck part of beef, is it okay if I use any part? (of course, the meaty part, haha)
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Jhuls! Whether you use rice or lettuce or both, I promise you will love these meatballs. As for the meat, you don’t even have to used beef. Ground chicken or turkey would work also. David and I like chuck, because chuck is cut from the shoulder, which contains enough fat to add flavor and juiciness. Basically there is a good ratio of fat and meat. (It’s also a good choice for hamburgers) You could use ground round, but the meatballs may be a little drier since there is less fat content. I hope I have answered your question. I hope you enjoy this recipe!