Description
Juicy Cajun-spiced meatballs glazed in sticky hot honey, served with tender broccolini and fluffy Cajun rice for a bold, comforting, flavor-packed meal that feels special yet easy enough for weeknights.
Ingredients
- Ground beef: 500 grams
- Breadcrumbs: 60 grams
- Egg: 1 large
- Cajun seasoning: 2 teaspoons
- Garlic powder: 1 teaspoon
- Onion powder: 1 teaspoon
- Salt: 0.75 teaspoon
- Black pepper: 0.5 teaspoon
- Olive oil: 2 tablespoons
- Honey: 80 milliliters
- Chili flakes: 0.5 to 1 teaspoon
- Soy sauce: 1 tablespoon
- Broccolini: 250 grams
- Long grain rice: 200 grams
- Vegetable broth: 400 milliliters
- Paprika: 1 teaspoon
- Dried thyme: 0.5 teaspoon
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper until just mixed.
- Shape the mixture into evenly sized meatballs, about 30 grams each.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and brown the meatballs on all sides until cooked through.
- Reduce heat and add honey, chili flakes, and soy sauce to the skillet, stirring until a glossy glaze forms and coats the meatballs.
- In a medium saucepan, combine rice, vegetable broth, paprika, dried thyme, and a pinch of salt. Cover and simmer until the rice is tender and fluffy.
- In a separate pan, sauté broccolini with a small amount of olive oil and salt until tender-crisp.
- Serve the meatballs over Cajun rice with broccolini on the side, spooning extra hot honey glaze over the top.
Notes
- Use slightly damp hands when rolling meatballs to keep them smooth.
- Simmer the honey glaze gently to prevent burning.
- Adjust chili flakes to control the heat level.
- Fluff the rice with a fork just before serving for the best texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 520 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 780 mg
- Fat: 26 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 105 mg
Keywords: hot honey meatballs, cajun meatballs, broccolini dinner, cajun rice bowl, spicy sweet meatballs