Asian Turkey Meatballs
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Whether you want a tasty appetizer for a party or a healthy, satisfying dinner for the fam, this creative spin on meatballs does the trick. Bake the Asian Turkey Meatballs and serve alongside the Sweet Soy Dipping Sauce, or serve over brown rice and stir fried veggies with a drizzle of the sauce. Freezing instructions included.
Ingredients Needed
For this fun spin on a typical meatball, we’ll be using some of my favorite Asian-inspired foods. Ground turkey is lean and fairly bland, as ground meats go, so this line-up of ingredients infuses complex flavor.
Here’s what you’ll need…
For the Turkey Meatballs:
- Finely chopped green onions
- Finely chopped fresh cilantro (sub: fresh parsley)
- Minced garlic
- Reduced-sodium soy sauce (GF option: gluten-free Tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos)
- Sesame oil
- Panko bread crumbs* (GF option: gluten-free bread crumbs)
- 1 large egg
- Ground turkey** (sub: ground chicken or ground pork)
- Optional (but recommended): a squirt or two of Sriracha hot chili sauce
For the Sweet Soy Dipping Sauce:
- Reduced-sodium soy sauce
- Brown sugar
- Green onions, sliced (sub: 2 tablespoons minced dried onion)
- A squirt of Sriracha sauce or a pinch of red pepper flakes
*We like to use the whole wheat Panko for extra nutrition if you can find it.
**We recommend NOT using the 99% lean ground turkey. It’s much better to get turkey that’s less lean, so the meatballs are more moist and flavorful. You could also use half ground turkey/chicken sausage and half ground turkey/chicken to add more flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Set aside about 30 minutes to make the meatballs and sauce from start to finish.
Make Meatball Mixture
Add all the meatball ingredients to a mixing bowl. Combine gently with clean hands.
Roll Meatballs
Roll into 1 1/2-inch meatballs and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan. You’ll end up with 20-24 meatballs. Be sure to spread them out on the pan.
Bake
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F for about 15 minutes. The meatballs are done when there is no more pink in the middle when cut open or a meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 160-165°F (the internal temp will rise about 5 more degrees after you remove from oven).
Tip: Broil at the End for Crispier Outside
If you want the meatballs to have a crispier exterior, remove the meatballs after 13 minutes of baking. Turn on the broiler and place the pan on the top oven rack. Broil for about 2 minutes, until golden on top and cooked through.
Make Sauce
While they bake, make the Sweet Soy Dipping Sauce on the stovetop.
Serve
Serve the meatballs with the warm dipping sauce.
This dip joins our Asian Slaw and Bacon-Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese as a crowd-pleasing appetizer.
How to Freeze as a Meal Kit
One of the best parts of this recipe is that you can make a complete Asian Turkey Meatballs meal kit to freeze for later.
Simply double the batch of meatballs and sauce. Eat one meal fresh that night and freeze the other for later. Plus, to make your future life even easier, freeze the meatballs along with your side dishes for a complete meal kit.
As freezer cooking authors and experts, here’s how we recommend freezing this meal:
Freeze For Later: Label and open a gallon-sized freezer bag and lay it on the counter. Follow Step 2 and 3, however, place the meatballs in a single layer in the freezer bag. Seal, squeezing out excess air, and freeze flat. Then, combine all the ingredients for the Dipping Sauce in a quart-sized freezer bag, seal, toss to combine, and freeze along with the meatballs. You can also include a bag of cooked brown rice and a bag of frozen stir fry veggies to complete the meal kit.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw the meatballs, sauce, and rice in the refrigerator. Follow Step 1 and then Steps 4-6 to cook the meatballs and sauce. Warm up the rice in the microwave and prepare the stir fry veggies according to package directions.
More Freezing Tips
- This would make a wonderful freezer meal to take to a new parent or someone in need!
- See what are our 5 Favorite Freezer Containers.
- Be sure to read our whole article about Freezing Meatballs: Raw or Cooked for even more expert tips.
How to Serve Asian Turkey Meatballs
There are two simple ways to serve these meatballs:
- Appetizer Style – Serve them warm or at room temperature with a small ramekin of the warm Sweet Soy Dipping sauce.
- Main Dish with Sides – Serve them over brown rice and stir-fry veggies. Drizzle the sauce over everything! Top with some sliced green onions and sesame seeds for garnish.
More Asian-Inspired Recipes
Serve as an Appetizer
Like our Simple Charcuterie Board, and Bacon-Wrapped Dates, these Asian Turkey Meatballs make a great appetizer choice!
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Asian Turkey Meatballs
Whether you want a tasty appetizer for a party or a healthy, satisfying dinner for the fam, this creative spin on meatballs does the trick. Baked Asian Turkey Meatballs are sure to become a favorite dinner!
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions (about 3)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (sub: fresh parsley)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (or 2 garlic cloves, minced)
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce (see GF option in notes)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3/4 cup plain Panko bread crumbs* (see GF option in notes)
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 – 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey**
- Optional (but recommended): a squirt or two of Sriracha hot chili sauce
For the Sauce:
- 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce (see GF option in notes)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 green onions, sliced (sub: 2 tablespoons minced dried onion)
- A squirt of Sriracha sauce or a pinch of red pepper flakes
*We like to use the whole wheat Panko for extra nutrition if you can find it.
**We recommend NOT using the 99% lean ground turkey. It’s much better to get turkey that’s less lean, so the meatballs are more moist and flavorful. You could also use half ground turkey/chicken sausage and half ground turkey/chicken to add more flavor.
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- Prep: Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper (for easier clean up). Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Make Meat Mixture: In a large mixing bowl, add the green onions, cilantro/parsley, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, bread crumbs, beaten egg, and the turkey. Use your clean hands to gently combine.
- Form Meatballs: Scoop one heaping tablespoon of the turkey mixture at a time and shape into about 1 1/2-inch diameter meatballs. Place meatballs in rows on the baking sheet, making sure to leave a little room between each one.
- Bake: Bake for about 15 minutes. The meatballs are done when there is no more pink in the middle when cut open or a meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 160-165°F (the internal temp will rise about 5 more degrees after you remove from oven). (Note: If you want the meatballs to have a crispier exterior, remove the meatballs after 13 minutes of baking. Turn on the broiler and place the pan on the top oven rack. Broil for about 2 minutes, until golden on top and cooked through.)
- Make Sauce: While the meatballs bake, make the Dipping Sauce. In a medium saucepan, add the soy sauce, brown sugar, green onion, and Sriracha or red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer (watch closely so it doesn’t boil over!). Cook for about 5 minutes.
- Serve: Serve the warm meatballs with a small ramekin of dipping sauce. Or, serve meatballs over brown rice with stir-fried vegetables and drizzle the sauce over the top.
Freeze For Later: Label and open a gallon-sized freezer bag and lay it on the counter. Follow Steps 2 and 3, however, place the meatballs in a single layer in the freezer bag. Seal, squeezing out excess air, and freeze flat. Then, combine all the ingredients for the Dipping Sauce in a quart-sized freezer bag, seal, toss to combine, and freeze along with the meatballs. You can also include a bag of cooked brown rice and a bag of frozen stir fry veggies to complete the meal kit.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw the meatballs, sauce, and rice in the refrigerator. Follow Step 1 and then Steps 4-6 to cook the meatballs and sauce. Warm up the rice in the microwave and prepare the stir-fry veggies according to package directions.
Notes/Tips
- It’s very likely you’ll have leftover meatballs. Freeze them for later using these instructions.
- Gluten-Free Version: In place of soy sauce, use coconut aminos or Tamari gluten-free soy sauce. In place of the Panko bread crumbs, use almond meal or gluten-free bread crumbs (I prefer to make my own with GF bread).
- Where We Get Meat: We get our meat from ButcherBox. The chicken is organic and curated from small, trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, wild salmon, and grass-fed beef–and have used it for years ourselves. Read my honest review here.
Loved these. The sauce was delicious. I used just a little less ginger and I also added just a little cornstarch/water mixture to the instapot at the end to thicken it slightly. I will make these again.
My meatballs did stick to the instapot a bit during the browning process so maybe I will try different type of oil next time.
Hi Amber. Glad you enjoyed these. Thank you for taking the time to write a review and list out your changes.
This is my second time making these. A real hit! Love the flavors!
They are so good! Thanks for leaving a review Iris.
Very tasty. I substituted a weird blend of fresh/dried parsley and fresh cilantro based on what I had and my cilantro-hater didn’t notice and rated it 9/10. It was great with just a bit of sauce! So calorie efficient, too!
I love when you can use up what you have on hand. So resourceful. And congrats on pleasing the cilantro hater. That’s awesome! Appreciate the review!
Delicious! So much flavor. And that sauce…. Wow! Amazing! I will double the sauce next time! I followed the directions to freeze ahead. So simple. Will definitely be making again.
Love to hear this Kaceey. Simple and flavorful are two words we strive to achieve!
This recipe is a favorite in our house! Our picky kiddos love the plain meatballs but we can’t get enough of that sauce! So simple and the flavor is spot on! It’s both good for you and so comforting. We serve it with cauliflower rice for even less calories!
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review Nicki. We seriously love to hear every time a picky eater is won over!
The meatballs were good, but the sauce was too salty. I would try low sodium soy sauce if I make it again. That said, I made a double batch and only five meatballs were left.
Thanks for the feedback. I’ll make that note on the recipe.