Asian Turkey Meatballs

I was really excited to try out this recipe for Asian Turkey Meatballs because my daughter is such a meat lover.  I figured she would be all over these tiny little meatball appetizers.  Unfortunately, that was not the case with these healthy little turkey meatballs.  Don't let that stop you from reading the blog though.  There is a second, bonus recipe at the end.   

Asian Turkey Meatballs with a Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 10 min.

Cook Time: 15 min.

Total Time: 25 min.

Ingredients:

Dipping Sauce:
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp sesame oil
1/4-1/2 tsp honey, to taste
1 scallion, chopped
Meatballs:

1 lb ground turkey
1 egg
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp scallion, finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of panko crumbs
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine the soy sauce, lime juice, water,sesame oil, green onion, and honey together in a dish. Whisk until well combined; set aside.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray.

Combine the ground turkey, egg, green onion, cilantro, ginger, garlic, panko, soy sauce, sesame oil, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste together in a large bowl.

Gently mix the ingredients until well combined.







Shape 2 Tablespoons of mixture into a ball then place into the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining meat mixture.

 
Place the meatballs into the oven and bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately along with the dipping sauce.

The meatballs were good but I used 93% lean ground turkey breast so they ended up a little dry.  (I might have cooked them a little too long which didn't help either.)  Unfortunately my daughter, who I expected to love them, didn't really like them. 

At the end of our dinner, I had 2 dozen mini meatballs leftover and a bowl full of dipping sauce.  I decided to freeze the meatballs and use the dipping sauce in a chicken stir fry.  Turns out - it's a pretty good stir fry sauce.  I actually liked the sauce better in the chicken stir fry than I did as a meatball dipping sauce.

For my stir fry, I started with my favorite vegetables: carrots, zucchini, broccoli, squash and bell pepper.

 

I cut some boneless, skinless chicken breast into one inch chunks. 







I sauteed the chicken in olive oil.

I took the chicken out of the skillet and then sauteed the vegetables.







I added the chicken to the skillet and a couple of Tablespoons of the dipping sauce.

I served my chicken stir fry with brown rice and fresh pineapple slices.

Yummy dinner.

So there you have it - 1 dipping sauce - 2 different recipes.  Don't you just love versatile recipes?

Ciao!

Asian Turkey Meatballs with a Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 10 min.

Cook Time: 15 min.

Total Time: 25 min.

Ingredients:

Dipping Sauce:
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp sesame oil
1/4-1/2 tsp honey, to taste
1 scallion, chopped
Meatballs:

1 lb ground turkey
1 egg
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp scallion, finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of panko crumbs
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine the soy sauce, lime juice, water,sesame oil, green onion, and honey together in a dish. Whisk until well combined; set aside.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray.
Combine the ground turkey, egg, green onion, cilantro, ginger, garlic, panko, soy sauce, sesame oil, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste together in a large bowl. Gently mix the ingredients until well combined.
Shape 2 Tablespoons of mixture into a ball then place into the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining meat mixture.
Place the meatballs into the oven and bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately along with the dipping sauce. Enjoy.