This recipe for Asian meatballs involves light and tender turkey meatballs that are seasoned with Asian flavors, tossed in a honey garlic sauce and served over a colorful carrot rice. It’s a quick and easy weeknight meal that the whole family will love!
Looking for something a little different than your typical spaghetti and meatballs? These Asian meatballs are tender and full of flavor, my whole family adores this recipe!
Who likes meatballs? We sure do! My girls will happily eat any and all meatballs. But the whole spaghetti and meatballs thing gets tiring after a while so I’m always on the look out for other variations. This recipe for Asian meatballs with carrot rice is definitely a unique take on meatballs.
How do you make Asian meatballs?
This recipe uses ground turkey instead of beef to lighten things up a bit – these meatballs are not greasy at all. The meat is mixed with panko and flavored with cilantro, soy sauce, garlic, and a touch of sriracha – not enough to make it super spicy, just enough to add flavor.
I always broil my meatballs rather than pan fry them – it’s so much easier and the broiler browns the tops just as well as if you had seared them in an oiled pan. The great thing about meatballs is that they freeze beautifully – so you can even make a double batch of these and pop half in the freezer for another night. I typically freeze my meatballs after they’ve already been cooked, I think that yields the best result.
The Asian meatballs are great on their own, but what really takes this dish over the top is the carrot rice. It’s so simple and fun – make your rice (white or brown) as usual, then add some shredded carrots at the end and let it all sit in the covered pan for a few minutes. The heat of the rice lightly cooks the carrots and the carrots turn the rice a fun orange color. It’s a great flavor combination and an easy way to convince your kids to eat their veggies.
The whole thing can be on your table in 30 minutes – start by putting the rice up to simmer and then get the meatballs going while the rice is cooking. It’s a great choice for a simple and healthy weeknight meal.
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Asian Meatballs and Carrot Rice
Ingredients
- For the rice:
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 2 carrots peeled and shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
- For the meatballs:
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (regular or gluten free breadcrumbs can be substituted)
- 1 1/2 pounds ground dark-meat turkey
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 4 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sriracha (optional)
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 1 egg
- cooking spray
- For the honey garlic sauce:
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- Lime wedges for serving
- sesame seeds and chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat broiler. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups salted water to a boil. Add rice and return to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook until rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the carrot on top. Let stand, covered, 8 minutes, then stir in carrot and fluff rice with a fork.
- In the meantime, in a medium bowl, combine panko breadcrumbs, turkey, cilantro, soy sauce, sriracha, egg, sugar, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 2 tablespoons of water. Gently mix to combine and form into tablespoon sized meatballs.
- Place the meatballs in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet that has been coated in cooking spray. Coat the tops of the meatballs with cooking spray. Broil the meatballs about 4-6 inches from the heat element for 10-15 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.
- For the sauce: in a small bowl mix together the honey, soy sauce and garlic. Drizzle the sauce over the meatballs and toss to combine.
- Top the meatballs with chopped cilantro and sesame seeds if desired and serve with rice and lime wedges.
Notes
Little Helpers: My kids love to help grate the carrots, I supervise them closely to make sure that their little hands stay away from the rough parts of the grater.
Donna says
I bet my kids would love this! The carrot rice looks fantastic, thanks for sharing!
Nancy P.@thebittersideofsweet says
We love to use turkey to make meatballs! This looks so good!
Cate | Chez CateyLou says
I love meatballs – this is such a fun twist! And I love that your recipe is for broiling instead of pan frying….so much easier, and cleaner!
Erin @ Simple, Sweet & Savory says
YAY! I LOVE anything Asian and I am obsessed with meatballs. This looks amazing! Pinning to try ASAP!
Jaren (Diary of a Recipe Collector) says
I’ve never broiled meatballs before, but I have got to try that! This looks super yummy!
April says
These were so good! Pinned and WILL be making again. So much flavor!I used Jasmine rice and instead of making into meatballs, I put meat mixture in muffin tins.Cute little mini meatloafs. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Sara says
Thanks for reporting back April, I’m so glad you liked it!
Amy @ A Healthy Life For Me says
Yay! Can’t wait to try this recipe, another great way to serve meatballs.
Denise | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
The only meat my 1 1/2 year old will eat is turkey meatballs! This looks like a delicious variation, I’ll have to give it a try!
Courtney @ NeighborFood says
I LOOOVE meatballs and the idea of an Asian meatball with rice is right up my alley!
Robin Follette says
I do love meatballs and don’t have tomorrow night’s supper planned. This might be what we have!
Krystal Thompson says
These look perfect for my little guy who is super picky. I’ll be trying soon.
Mariah @ Mariah's Pleasing Plates says
These Asian meatballs look so good! I love that they are kid approved 😉
Pinned!
Lauren says
These look so so good! I love turkey meatballs and this recipe looks right up my alley! I am pinning fo rlater..
kristen says
woah, these look incredible!! I love making baked meatballs, so much easier! I’m definitely pinning this one! thanks for sharing!!
Olga @ MangoTomato says
Love meatballs! And you are right: they freeze so well. Great idea to add carrots into the rice: and it looks prettier that way too!
Christie says
These sound divine. I have a meatball loving daughter too. Broiling is the only way to go. My family is going to love this recipe.
Florian @ContentednessCooking says
This looks fantastic, Sarah! Keep up the fantastic work!
Nibbles By Nic says
I too, am a (meatball) broiler! Been meaning to make an Asian version and this one sounds authentically delicious!
Manila Spoon says
I can seriously eat a dish like this everyday! Love that it’s baked instead of fried, too. What a delicious meal!
Sloan @ Life Food and Beer says
This sound great! I like the idea of adding the carrots to the rice too.