Meatball Dipping Sauce

[birder53]

I want to serve meatballs in a spicy peanut sauce for a family gathering. Some folks don't care for spicy foods. Any suggestions for a second dipping sauce for this cautious group?

I did find one for honey mustard and bourbon, but I'm not sure if that is a good match for the beef.

[Kerry Beal]

A honey garlic sauce has always appealed to me with meatballs.

[birder53]

A honey garlic sauce has always appealed to me with meatballs.

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Sounds interesting. Do you have a recipe to share? I haven't come across this combination in my search.

[Kerry Beal]

Rather old fashioned recipe now that I've dug it out.

Cook together 2 or 3 cloves of crushed garlic, salt, undiluted can of consumme (I'd probably substitute beef broth of some sort - perhaps Knorr) , 2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 cup honey, 1/4 cup soya sauce. Cook together then thicken to taste with a cornstarch slurry.

[birder53]

Thanks for looking up that recipe.

[Sentiamo]

Plum sauce is wonderful with meatballs. I add a touch of ginger and orange zest to a commercial one if I haven't any of my own.

[Hiroyuki]

A Japanese dipping sauce is simple: Just make a 1:1 mixture of soy sauce and mirin for an intense flavor and a 1:1:1 mixture of soy sauce, mirin, and sake for a milder one. You can also add some dashi and/or citrus juice.

[annachan]

A BBQ sauce is always good. A marinara would also work. Maybe a Swedish meatballs type sauce? Or maybe a mushroom sauce....

[petite tête de chou]

I want to serve meatballs in a spicy peanut sauce for a family gathering.  Some folks don't care for spicy foods.  Any suggestions for a second dipping sauce for this cautious group?

I did find one for honey mustard and bourbon, but I'm not sure if that is a good match for the beef.

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Sweet and sour sauce with orange juice and zest would pair well with the beef.

I've used a blackberry-chipotle barbeque sauce on ribs and chops that you could omit the pepper from.

[KARENR65]

One of my favorite restaurants serves mini-meatballs with a garlic aioli - so good!

[birder53]

Lots of good ideas. Thanks for all the help!

[toweringpine]

I haven't tried it yet but I was recently looking for a different sauce for meatballs and everywhere I looked I kept seeing links for grape jelly and chili sauce. I questioned using grape jelly but I saw dozens of variations on this theme and had it recommended to me by a fellow at work whose food opinions I value.

As my wife is diabetic it didn't seem appropriate for us at the time but I was intrigued enough that I will try it if she is not going to be around when I make them or if I make several sauces.

[emilyr]

I haven't tried it yet but I was recently looking for a different sauce for meatballs and everywhere I looked I kept seeing links for grape jelly and chili sauce. I questioned using grape jelly but I saw dozens of variations on this theme and had it recommended to me by a fellow at work whose food opinions I value.

As my wife is diabetic it didn't seem appropriate for us at the time but I was intrigued enough that I will try it if she is not going to be around when I make them or if I make several sauces.

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My former roommate did one with currant jelly and mustard. She uses French's yellow, but once I used some whole grain mustard instead and it was quite tasty. A little sweet, a bit tart, and mustardy.