Asian Turkey Meatballs

5 from 2 votes

Asian Turkey Meatballs have it all in one bite-sized sweet, tangy, and spicy morsel! Healthy ground turkey is seasoned with ginger, garlic, and soy sauce and then blanketed in a zesty Orange Sesame Sauce! This easy dinner, meal prep recipe, or crowd-pleasing appetizer is ready in about 45 minutes!

Prep Time25

Cook Time20

Total Time45

Course: Chicken and Turkey

Cuisine: Asian

Diet: Low Calorie, Low Fat

Servings:

Author: Carol | From A Chef's Kitchen

Equipment

Ingredients

Meatballs

4 scallions white and light green part only, minced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg beaten
3/4 cup panko or 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 pound ground turkey all white meat, dark meat, or a combination

Orange Sesame Sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar or more to taste
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon chili paste or hot sauce such as Sriracha
1 teaspoon minced ginger
3 cloves garlic minced
2 scallions white and light green part only, minced
2 tablespoons corn starch
Sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

Meatballs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the scallions, garlic, cilantro, ginger, soy sauce, salt, black pepper, egg and panko. Add the ground turkey and mix well.
Using a large cookie scoop or eye-balling it, form the turkey into 28 even meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the center of each meatball registers at least 165 degrees.

Orange Sesame Sauce

While the meatballs are baking, combine all the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Let stand until the meatballs are fully cooked (sauce thickens more upon standing).
Adjust acidity and sweetness as desired with more vinegar or brown sugar.
Place the meatballs into the saucepan and stir to coat.
Serve, garnished with scallions and sesame seeds.

Notes

The meatballs and sauce use some of the same ingredients. The totals are 1 bunch of scallions, 1 tablespoon minced ginger, 6 cloves of garlic, and 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon soy sauce.

SUBSTITUTIONS:

Use chicken, pork, or beef if you're not a turkey fan.
Can use tamari in place of soy sauce.

TIPS:

Wear disposable gloves and mix them with your hands to do the job faster.

Combine the ingredients before adding the ground meat, as shown above. This allows for better distribution of all the ingredients. If you haven't added the egg, you can also taste the mixture for seasoning to get an idea of the taste.

The best way 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. Then, wet your hands and fine-tune them, rolling them into neat little balls in the palms of your hands.

MAKE AHEAD:

The meatballs can be formed and refrigerated unbaked for no more than 24 hours. Ensure the ground turkey is fresh or you just opened the package.
You can bake the meatballs a day ahead, cool them, refrigerate them, and make the sauce when ready to serve.
You can make the Asian meatballs recipe completely and then reheat them in your slow cooker. However, excessive reheating can break down cornstarch-thickened sauces, so go low and slow and stir halfway through heating. You can also reheat in a covered casserole dish in a 350-degree oven.

FREEZER-FRIENDLY:

Cool completely, then package in an air-tight container for up to two months.
Thaw in the refrigerator or the microwave.
Reheat in a covered casserole dish in a 350-degree oven.

Nutrition