Asian Turkey Meatballs – An easy, lightened up dinner made with lean ground turkey breast and plenty of Asian flavors. Serve these with a side of steamed veggies and brown rice for a healthy and yummy meal!
For more easy turkey recipes, be sure to check out my Mini Pizza Meatloaves, Turkey Bolognese, and Slow Cooker Turkey.
Since it’s a new year, many of us are ready to start it off right by making more healthful choices. I know I enjoyed a few more cookies and treats than I probably should have over the holidays, but that’s what New Year’s resolutions are for, right?
Thankfully, cooking healthy foods doesn’t have to be difficult, and with recipes like these Asian Turkey Meatballs, eating right can be pretty delicious, too.
Ingredients for Asian Turkey Meatballs
- milk
- plain bread crumbs
- ground turkey breast
- egg
- garlic
- green onions
- salt
- cilantro
- soy sauce
- sesame oil
- lime juice
How to Make Asian Turkey Meatballs – Step by Step
Step 1: Preheat oven
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2: Make meatballs
In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients and mix well. Form into 20 meatballs (about a ¼ cup each) and place in the bottom of a greased 9×13 pan. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until cooked through.
Step 3: Make sauce
Meanwhile, prepare sauce by combining all ingredients in a small bowl. When the Asian Turkey meatballs have finished cooking, transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with some of the prepared sauce.
Step 4: Serve
Serve meatballs over rice with with remaining sauce, if desired. Enjoy!
Tips and Notes
- Ground turkey breast vs ground turkey: I love using ground turkey breast in recipes, especially when I’m looking to save a few calories. It is important to note that the type of ground turkey that you purchase really affects how much fat or calories you will save over ground beef. If your goal is to achieve a lighter meal, try to find ground turkey breast for your Asian Turkey Meatballs and not just ground turkey. Ground turkey is made up of both light and dark meat and therefore has a bit more fat and calories than its breast meat counterpart.
- Ground turkey breast is a very lean meat, but these meatballs have a little milk, egg, soy sauce, and sesame oil to help keep them moist. They may actually feel a bit sticky as you’re forming them into balls, but just keep working with them and they will bake up just fine. There is also a yummy lime sauce to drizzle over them at the end that just adds to their moistness and flavor!
What to Serve with Asian Turkey Meatballs
I like to serve these Asian Turkey Meatballs over brown rice with some steamed or roasted veggies, like Garlic Parmesan Roasted Asparagus, or some sautéed bok choy. Asparagus and Bok Choy (or Chinese cabbage) both pair perfectly with these meatballs and are full of good for you vitamins like A, C, K, potassium, folate, and more.
How to Store Leftovers
Any leftover Asian Turkey meatballs can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
More Healthy Dinner Recipes You Might Enjoy!
Asian Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup plain bread crumbs
- 20 oz. ground turkey breast
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced green onions
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
Dipping Sauce:
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 Tablespoon water
- 1 garlic clove, minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients and mix well. Form into 20 meatballs (about a ¼ cup each) and place in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until cooked through.
- Meanwhile, prepare sauce by combining all ingredients in a small bowl. When the meatballs have finished cooking, transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with some of the prepared sauce.
- Serve meatballs over rice with with remaining sauce, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Ground turkey breast vs ground turkey: I love using ground turkey breast in recipes, especially when I’m looking to save a few calories. It is important to note that the type of ground turkey that you purchase really affects how much fat or calories you will save over ground beef. If your goal is to achieve a lighter meal, try to find ground turkey breast and not just ground turkey. Ground turkey is made up of both light and dark meat and therefore has a bit more fat and calories than its breast meat counterpart.
- Ground turkey breast is a very lean meat, but these meatballs have a little milk, egg, soy sauce, and sesame oil to help keep them moist. They may actually feel a bit sticky as you’re forming them into balls, but just keep working with them and they will bake up just fine. There is also a yummy lime sauce to drizzle over them at the end that just adds to their moistness and flavor!
- Serving suggestions: I like to serve these Asian Turkey Meatballs over brown rice with some steamed or roasted veggies, like Garlic Parmesan Roasted Asparagus, or some sautéed bok choy. Asparagus and Bok Choy (or Chinese cabbage) both pair perfectly with these meatballs and are full of good for you vitamins like A, C, K, potassium, folate, and more.
- How to store: Any leftover meatballs can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Jen @ JENRON DESIGNS says
These sound delicious for an easy weeknight meal, thank you for sharing your amazing recipe with us!
Briana says
I don’t eat red meat but I do love meatballs so this recipe is perfect for me. I would love to try these for dinner tomorrow!
Stephanie De Jesus says
Ohh!! Meatballs are always a hit but i’ve never tried turkey before. if given the chance to have turkey this is a must try!
Marta says
I bet these taste amazing, especially with the addition of that soy lime dipping sauce. Adding this to next week’s meal plan!
Amber Myers says
Oh yum, what a tasty flavor. I cannot wait to try these out!
Monica Simpson says
My kids love meatballs. I’d love for them to try these.