Tasty nuggets of joy aka baked turkey meatballs get a Thai twist with the addition of ginger, garlic, and red curry paste to keep them light, fluffy and moist when they're dunked in a Thai coconut milk sauced easy dinner.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian, Thai
Keyword turkey meatballs
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
refrigerate meatball mix 15 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour
Servings 6
Calories 351kcal
Ingredients
For the Thai Meatballs
1poundground chicken or turkey
1egg
1cuppanko
½cupminced green onion
3clovespressed garlic
1 ½tablespoonsgrated ginger or ginger paste
1tablespoonsoy sauce or fish sauce
1tablespoonred curry paste
1teaspoonkosher salt
1teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
For the Coconut Curry Sauce
1tablespooncanola oil
½red bell peppersliced
½yellow onionsliced
1tablespoonginger
1tablespoonred curry paste
1 13.5ouncecans unsweetened coconut milk
1tablespoonfish sauce or soy sauce
2tablespoonsbrown sugar
chopped cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
For the Baked Turkey Meatballs
Preheat the oven to 400°F and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Set aside.
In large bowl, combine the ground turkey or chicken with the egg, panko breadcrumbs, green onion, garlic, fish sauce, ginger, red curry paste, and salt and pepper. Use a whisk to break the egg yolk and lightly fold the ingredients together. Gently knead the mix with damp hands until incorporated. Cover and refrigerate the mixture for at least 15 minutes for the breadcrumbs to soften, up to overnight.
Use a small scoop to form the meatballs into 1-inch balls and place on a cutting board. Dampen your hands and lightly shape and roll the meatballs between your palms and place evenly spaced on the baking sheet. Bake until no longer pink inside, about 20 minutes, then broil on high for another 5-10 minutes for a deliciously crispy crust. Remove from the oven and add to the coconut curry sauce.
For the Curry Coconut Sauce
While the meatballs are baking, prepare the coconut curry sauce. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and red bell pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the ginger and and red curry paste and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring often so the vegetables don't burn but become soft and fragrant.
Add the coconut milk and add the brown sugar and fish sauce or soy sauce and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes then add the meatballs to the sauce and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning and if it needs more salt, add a dash or two more fish sauce or soy sauce. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and serve over rice or noodles.