Healthy Turkey Meatballs in Curry Sauce
These Healthy Turkey Meatballs in Curry Sauce are moist and juicy, then covered in a creamy red curry sauce that is bursting with Asian flavor. Made with lean turkey, they are a low-fat and high-protein dinner, snack, or appetizer.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup panko
- 4 green onions minced
- 2-3 cloves garlic pressed
- 1 1/2 tablespoon grated ginger or ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Curry Sauce
- 1 tablespoon groundnut oil or peanut oil
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- ½ yellow onion sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 13.5 oz full-fat unsweetened coconut milk one can
- Fresh Cilantro for garnish, chopped
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts chopped
Instructions
Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine all meatball ingredients (1 pound ground turkey, 1 large egg, 1 cup panko, 4 green onions (sliced), 2-3 cloves garlic (minced), 1 1/2 tablespoon grated ginger, 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon red curry paste, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper) in a large bowl and, using your clean hands, mix well to blend.
- Clean your hands and wet them a bit to prevent the meat mixture from sticking. Take a spoonful of mixture and roll it between your palms to create a meatball. Repeat with the remaining mixture and arrange the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.
Curry Sauce
- Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat the 1 tablespoon groundnut oil. Saute the ½ yellow onion(diced) and 1 red bell pepper (diced) for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Add in the 1 tablespoon minced ginger, 1 tablespoon red curry paste, 1 tablespoon honey, and 13.5 oz full-fat unsweetened coconut milk.
- Mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow the sauce to simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- As soon as the meatballs are done baking, add them to the curry sauce.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with Fresh Cilantro and 1/4 cup roasted peanuts.
Video
Notes
- Ground turkey: We prefer using 93% lean turkey for this recipe.
- Panko: You can also use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger has the most flavor. Peel the skin off with the back of a spoon, then grate with a Microplane or grater. You can freeze the leftover and grate it from frozen next time you need ginger.
- Soy sauce: Substitute with coconut aminos if desired.
- Red curry paste: You can substitute it with curry powder, but the flavor may not be identical. If substituting, use 1 teaspoon in the meatballs and 1 teaspoon in the curry sauce.
- Groundnut oil: Also called peanut oil. Substitute with sunflower oil or canola oil.
- Don't over-mix the meat: Mix until just combined for tender meatballs that don't fall apart.
Nutrition
Calories: 527kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 968mg | Potassium: 823mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2330IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 6mg