Sesame turkey meatballs with coconut rice is a complete meal full of flavor. Perfect for a busy weeknight or a nice dinner on the weekend.
Making homemade meatballs is worth the effort. These are great tips to ensure your meatballs are tender and delicious. My blog is full of meatball recipes from a spicy Cajun variety to these perfectly tender zucchini chicken meatballs that I love over pasta.
This recipe might look intimidating with the long list of ingredients, but it isn’t complicated. Several ingredients are found in both the sauce and the meatballs and most are items you likely already have on hand.
Ingredients
Low Sodium Soy Sauce: Provides savory flavor.
Water: A base for the sauce.
Sesame Oil: Gives the sauce flavor and silky texture.
Sesame Seeds: Add a bit of crunchy texture.
Red Chili Paste: I love this chili paste. It’s sweet, spicy, and full of great flavor.
Fresh Ginger & Garlic: A fresh, bright flavor to the sauce.
Brown Sugar: The best sauces are a little spicy and a little sweet. Brown sugar provides the sweetness.
Cornstarch: Allows the sauce to thicken.
Ground Turkey: You could also use ground chicken or ground beef if you prefer.
Panko Breadcrumbs: Panko breadcrumbs are light and crispy to keep the meatballs tender.
Green Onions: Onions are great in meatballs. I like using both the white part and part of the green stem. A green onion is also sliced and used as a garnish at the end.
Salt & Black Pepper: Brings out the flavors.
Broccoli: One of our favorite great vegetables. It pairs very well with Asian-inspired rice dishes.
Coconut Rice: Coconut rice is simply rice cooked in coconut milk. Substitute part of the water you would normally cook your rice with coconut milk. Plain rice would also work if you don’t have coconut milk.
Roasted peanuts: Add a nice crunchy finishing touch to the dish.
Instructions
First thing, start your coconut rice, so it is done when the meatballs are ready.
Stir together the sauce ingredients then start on the meatballs. Meatballs can be a little fussy. You want them to stick together and not fall apart, but you don’t want a tough meatball. I typically like 90% lean ground turkey, but if I have 85% available I will use this variety for meatballs. A higher fat content yields a more flavorful meatball. Use a light touch when forming your meatballs to keep them tender.
Form the meatballs and add to a heated skillet. My mistake used to be trying to turn the meatballs before a good sear was formed. This results in the meatballs falling apart. Allow to sauté for about five minutes before attempting to turn.
At this point, you can cook the meatballs completely in the skillet before removing them or remove them to a baking pan and finish in the oven. Even though it dirties another dish, I prefer the oven method for meatballs that are tender on the inside with a nice sear on the outside.
Add the broccoli to the skillet and cook until crisp-tender. We like the broccoli to have a little bite. Then add the meatballs and the sauce to the skillet. Stir as the sauce heats, thickens, and coats the meatballs.
Divide your sesame turkey meatballs with coconut rice onto plates or bowls.
Sesame Turkey Meatballs with Coconut Rice
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 tsp red chili paste
- 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 large clove garlic minced or grated
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Meatballs
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- ½ pound ground turkey
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 green onion finely diced
- 1 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp fresh grated ginger
- ½ tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Sides
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 servings coconut rice
- 1 green onion thinly sliced
- Chopped roasted peanuts
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, water, sesame oil, sesame seeds, red chili paste, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, and cornstarch.
- In a medium bowl, add the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, green onion, ginger, salt and pepper. Form into 8-10 uniformly sized meatballs.
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add in sesame oil. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. I like to finish the meatballs in the oven, 15 minutes at 400℉. You can also finish the meatballs in the skillet for another 7-10 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through. Then remove the meatballs from the skillet to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Drizzle in a bit more oil if the skillet looks dry. Add in broccoli florets, and cook, stirring frequently, for 6-8 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender.
- Add the meatballs back to the pan with the broccoli and pour the sauce over, simmer on low until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2-5 minutes.
- Serve with coconut rice and top with green onions and roasted peanuts.