Meatballs in Spicy Curry rock with flavor and can be made with any protein. Try beef, lamb, chicken or turkey meatballs smothered in this amazing spicy Indian-inspired sauce!
The inspiration behind this recipe:
I pretty much got three things done this weekend: I got ⅔ of the house decorated for Christmas, laundry and made these Meatballs in Spicy Curry.
We had a few Thanksgiving leftovers in the fridge and frankly, I couldn’t stand to look at them anymore. My husband very unenthusiastically said…”I’ll eat them.” Basically, that means he’ll take one for the team so they don’t get thrown out.
Something crazy different like Meatballs in Spicy Curry was definitely in order!
Let’s talk about these little morsels of meaty goodness!
How to make Meatballs in Spicy Curry:
- Make them with any type of ground meat: Beef, lamb, chicken or turkey. Pork? Sure.
- When making meatballs, get all the ingredients except the ground meat mixed together first, then add the ground meat. This ensures all the ingredients–especially the seasonings–are evenly distributed.
- When I mix up any ground meat dish, I wear disposable gloves and mix with my hands to get the job done faster and more thoroughly.
- The best way I have found to portion and form meatballs is with a 1-inch cookie dough scoop. Grab a handful of the meat mixture in one hand and the cookie dough scoop in the other. Use the heel of the hand holding the meat mixture to level off the scoop. Empty the scoop on a baking sheet.
- After portioning the meat mixture, roll into neat balls. Frying meatballs is messy and will require more active time and attention. Instead, I place on a foil-lined baking sheet and simply bake them.
- If you have it, drizzle a little bit of broth or stock over the meatballs before baking. This keeps them from drying out and they stay super tender!
Serve the meatballs and sauce over brown basmati rice. Brown basmati rice is so flavorful and aromatic! You’ll love the aroma in your home while you’re getting ready for the holidays!
For more melt-in-your-mouth meatball recipes, be sure to try my:
- Spiced Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
- Chicken Meatballs Marsala with Baked Parmesan Polenta
- Turkish Turkey Meatball Wraps with Tzatziki
- Asian Barbecue Chicken Meatballs
- Morrocan Meatball and Vegetable Ragout
- Pepper Jack Stuffed Meatballs with Chipotle Sauce
- Hoisin Glazed Pork Meatballs and Rice Noodles with Cabbage and Carrots
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Meatballs in Spicy Curry
Meatballs in Spicy Curry rock with flavor and can be made with any protein! Try beef, lamb, chicken or turkey meatballs smothered in this amazing spicy Indian-inspired sauce!
Ingredients
- MEATBALLS
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ cup panko
- ½ cup beef broth, divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ¼ to 1 ½ pounds ground beef, lamb, chicken or turkey
- SAUCE
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 2 tablespoons curry powder (preferably Madras)
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 ½ cups beef broth
- 1 can (15-ounce) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Basmati rice, for serving
- Cilantro springs for garnish
- Lime wedges for garnish
Instructions
MEATBALLS: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
Heat coconut oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan. Add onion and cook 8-10 minutes or until onion is softened. Transfer ⅓ of the onions to a large bowl. Leave remaining onions in the saute pan and set aside.
While the onions that you placed in the bowl are still hot, add garlic, ginger, cumin and curry powder and stir. Cool to room temperature.
To the cooled onions in the bowl, add cilantro, panko, ¼ cup beef broth, egg, salt, black pepper and mix well. Add beef (or protein you're using) and mix well again.
Using a large cookie scoop, form mixture into approximately 36 even meatballs. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Drizzle with remaining ¼ cup beef broth. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until center of meatballs registers 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
SAUCE:
While meatballs are baking, heat onions that you left in saute pan back up over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger, curry powder and flour and cook 1-2 minutes. Stir in beef broth, tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes or until thickened. Add coconut milk, cilantro and salt and black pepper to taste.
When meatballs are finished, add to sauce, stir gently to coat. Serve over hot cooked basmati brown rice. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and lime wedges.
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTE: The large onion will be used in both the meatballs and sauce. Cook the entire onion in the coconut oil, then divide.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 716Total Fat: 42gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 192mgSodium: 1665mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 5gSugar: 5gProtein: 53g
The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Lesley says
Hi Carol,
I came home with the thought of making turkey meatballs in a curry sauce. Finding your recipe saved me from having to make up my own. I made them with ground turkey and they were delicious. The sauce is full of flavor, with a creamy finish from the coconut milk. A true hit at our house and will make them again. I will say that the prep time took a bit longer than the estimated 25 minutes.
Carol says
Hi, Lesley, Thanks so very much and glad you enjoyed!! Thanks for the feedback on the prep time, too!
Eddy says
Excellent delicious recipe. Very close to a version my mom made back in the day.
Carol says
Hi, Eddy, Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed!
Kendra says
Hi! I’m curious what sides or vegetables might go well with this? Any ideas?
Carol says
Hi, Kendra, Thanks so much for your question. You can do plain basmati rice or really any green vegetable. Here’s a recipe for Curried Roast Vegetables you may enjoy. Would definitely make it an Indian-inspired feast! Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
anitha says
I made these meatballs and they were so delicious. Thank you for a great recipe!
Carol says
Hi, Anitha, Thanks so very much and glad you enjoyed!
Rufia says
I am making this recipe tonight. So excited, they look delicious! 🙂
Carol says
Hi, Rufia, Thanks for letting me know and hope you enjoy!
Minika says
Thank you for the recipe! Flour wasn’t needed for me as the consistency was thick enough after adding the tomato paste and coconut milk. A delicious dish full of flavor!
Carol says
Hi, Minika, Thanks so very much and so glad you enjoyed! I just made this for a personal chef client yesterday and was reminded about how good it is. Glad you thought so, too! Thanks again!
Dave Gingerich says
While using coconut milk can leftovers be Frozen? Wonderful recipe!
Carol says
Hi, Dave, Thanks so much for your question and for the nice comment. Yes, this recipe freezes very well; I suggest reheating in the oven. Thanks again and glad you enjoyed!
Nazish Khan says
Thanku so much for introducing such a fun twist on meatballs! I loved the incorporation of madras curry powder as I’m very fond of Indian masalas. One thing that I added was garnishing it with a teaspoon of dried fenugreek leaves. I rubbed the leaves between my thumb and index finger while scattering them all over the meatballs…it turned out to be delish!!!
Carol says
Thanks so much, Nazish! So glad you enjoyed! Dried fenugreek is something I haven’t used very often but now I have a reason to and give it a try over these meatballs. Thanks again and please stay in touch!
Carol says
Hi, Maryann, Can you be more specific?
Alida says
Absolutely delicious!
Carol says
Thanks, Alida! You made my day! Please stay in touch!
Courtney says
I think you might want to look at your directions. They’re not really cohesive and omit adding certain ingredients (like the beef) or specify to only add a portion of the ingredients without returning to the remainder. ☺
Carol says
Hi, Courtney, Thanks so much for pointing out that the beef was not included in the directions. I apologize for any confusion and take accuracy very seriously! I tried to clarify about the onions because I could see where that would be confusing. Rather than cooking the onions twice, I wrote it so that you would cook them all at once, then divide. I had my husband review this recipe after making the changes so hopefully, two brains are better than one this time! If anything else is awry, please let me know. Thanks again and thank you for being kind about it.
Michele says
I love meatballs and have never thought of putting them in a curry sauce. Im going to make this over the weekend! Thanks
Carol says
Thanks, Michelle, Hope you enjoy!
Amanda says
This looks so amazing!! Oh my goodness! I’m so making this this week! Printing this off now!!
linda hall says
I have never posted comments to any site. I just want to say you are real! I can see the love and passion you place into each recipe. I have made several recipes and they were perfect. Thank you.
Carol says
Wow, Linda, thank YOU so very much! You really made my day! Wonderful people like you make doing this all worth it. Have a great holiday season and thank you again. Please stay in touch.
Jenna says
Whoa! These look delicious! I would have never thought to serve meatballs in curry. I have spaghetti and meatballs pretty much hardwired into my brain. Will have to try this. I love curry. The hotter the better!
Carol says
Thanks, Jenna! I love to put meatballs into new and creative sauces!