Firecracker Meatballs
with Roasted Carrots & Sesame Rice
- Soy
- Wheat
- Sesame
- Eggs
This recipe is here to blow up everything you think you know about meatballs. All dramatics aside, these meatballs are truly game-changing thanks to a certain onomatopoeic sauce. What exactly is “firecracker,” you ask? Well, mystery asker, it’s a creamy, spicy, sweet, and savory (yes, all those things!) sauce so good, it’ll make your taste buds explode! Once the meatballs are baked, they’re tossed in the magical condiment, then plated atop sesame-seed-flecked rice along with roasted carrots (AKA more things to dip in sauce). Don’t be surprised when you find yourself swiping up every last drop.
Ingredients
12 ounce
Carrot
2 tablespoon
Sour Cream
½ cup
Jasmine Rice
2 tablespoon
Soy Sauce
(Contains: Soy, Wheat)
1 teaspoon
Korean Chili Flakes
2 teaspoon
Honey
1 tablespoon
Sesame Seeds
(Contains: Sesame)
2 tablespoon
Mayonnaise
(Contains: Eggs)
10 ounce
Ground Beef
¼ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
2 unit
Scallions
1 teaspoon
Sriracha
1 thumb
Ginger
Not included in your delivery
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Cooking Oil
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position (top and middle positions for 4 servings) and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry all produce. • Trim, peel, and cut carrots on a diagonal into ½-inch-thick pieces. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens; mince whites. Peel and mince ginger. • In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, honey, 2 tsp soy sauce (4 tsp for 4), and sriracha to taste. (You’ll use the remaining soy sauce later.) Set aside.
• Place carrots on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Toss with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper, then push to one side of sheet. (For 4 servings, spread carrots out across entire sheet.) • Roast on top rack for 10 minutes (you’ll add the meatballs then).
• Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add half the sesame seeds (save the rest for serving); cook, stirring, until golden brown, 1-2 minutes. • Add rice, ¾ cup water (1½ cups for 4 servings), and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. • Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
• While rice cooks, in a second large bowl, combine beef*, panko, ginger, scallion whites, remaining soy sauce, salt (we used ½ tsp), and pepper. (For 4 servings, use 1 tsp salt.) • Form into 10-12 (20-24 for 4) 1½-inch meatballs.
• Once carrots have roasted 10 minutes, remove sheet from oven and carefully place meatballs on empty side. • Return to top rack until meatballs are cooked through and carrots are browned and tender, 14-16 minutes more. (For 4 servings, leave carrots roasting; add meatballs to a second lightly oiled baking sheet and roast on middle rack.) TIP: If carrots are done before meatballs, remove from sheet and continue roasting meatballs.
• Fluff rice with a fork; season with salt and pepper. Divide between bowls or plates. • Carefully add meatballs to bowl with sauce; toss to coat. • Top rice with meatballs and drizzle with any remaining sauce. Serve carrots to the side. Garnish with scallion greens, remaining sesame seeds, and chili flakes to taste.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Apr 2026- Flavor: The firecracker sauce gets rave reviews for its perfect balance of creamy, spicy, and sweet flavors. Some found the meatballs too salty; using less salt or low-sodium soy sauce helps balance the dish.
- Ease of prep: Rolling meatballs by hand takes extra time, but customers love how simple the overall recipe is. Using an ice cream scoop helps create evenly-sized meatballs and speeds up prep.
- Suggestions: Many recommend cooking meatballs a few extra minutes for better browning and adding more sriracha for heat lovers. Consider steaming carrots instead of roasting if you prefer them less soft.
- Leftovers: This dish reheats beautifully and makes excellent meal prep, with many customers intentionally making extra portions.
- Portions: Most found serving sizes generous, though some wanted a few more meatballs or extra sauce for drizzling.
Reviews from our home cooks
This is the best Hello Fresh meal we've had! Everything about it was delicious from the meatballs to the jasmine rice and carrots. My whole family enjoyed it so much that we purchased the ingredients again to cook it for the weekend! Very pleased!
Firecracker Meatballs with roasted carrots and sesame rice is one of my favorite dishes. Full of flavor in every bite and easy to follow directions with picture. Hello Fresh has talented chefs in their kitchen. I'm impressed!
Great flavors, fairly easy. Easier to use air fryer for the meatballs and steam the carrots instead of the oven. Roasted carrots usually come out half burnt too.
These were good! Roasted carrots are like my new fave little snack. Didn't too much care for the sauce the meatballs were in, but that's a personal thing. Jasmine rice is always a good idea.
This is one of our most favorite meals! We absolutely love the roasted carrots with the Jasmine rice and the nicely spiced meatballs with ginger! Yum!
The firecracker sauce was absolutely delicious. While l enjoy eating carrots, I do not like preparing them, especially the massive carrots that were sent to us. It made it difficult to cut and slice because they rolled everywhere. If I ordered this recipe again I would swap it for a different side. Also I felt the soy sauce was enough sodium in the recipe and didn't need the recommended salt added.
Amazing. Sauce goes so well with that Jasmin rice. My suggestion: no need to add salt to the meatball mix, and good to add at least five minutes to the baking time to get a good browned finish.
Just made it tonight. Absolutely delicious. However, the timing on the meatballs was too long. They were overdone. The rice and sauce were exceptional. The carrots were delicious but did not need the strong chili seasoning. It seemed like the recipe was trying too hard to deliver flavor.
Meatballs were a little bland. Not much firecracker in them at all. The carrots were good. The rice was OK, but the portion size was small, only fed 1 person. Rice can't be that expensive.
We liked it but it was not very "firecracker" I would order it again but put the Korean flakes into the meatballs and then sprinkle on them. Also I added some other veggies to the carrots - broccoli and cauliflower.
