Hey hey hey! I have a spicy little surprise for you today:Â Healthy 30 Minute Sriracha Teriyaki Meatball Bowls. This recipe is fast, fiercely flavorful, and fun to make! It’s win-win din-din all around.
Today is all about this quick, easy, and hella delicious dinner. I have been on a quick and easy dinner rampage the past few weeks because life >>> busy! And after working all day, it’s like… you want me to cook you dinner? But then I do because I’m a cool lady like that. Plus delivery has been draining mah wallet and I have a trip to Greece to save for! But enough about mah issues…
This meal in particular is quite wonderful for a whole slew of reasons… below I have listed the top 5!
1) As mentioned earlier, it’s a 30 minute meal situation! If you’re anything like me, that alone is a major selling point.
2) FLAVOR. Holy cow. This meal has got so much going on in the flavor department. Sriracha and Soy and Ginger! It’s an explosion of awesome.
3) Makes a ton —> HELLO, leftovers. I love you.
4) It’s pretty darn healthy. I mean, only you can determine what’s considered good for you…Â but this recipe uses ground turkey meat, brown rice, and a homemade teriyaki sauce that’s packed with yummy body friendly ingredients like raw honey, ginger, and garlic.
5) Totally adaptable! I am a minimalist come dinnertime, so I was very bare in my bowl making process. Rice + meatballs + scallions = perfection. But! You could add a slew of different veggies to these bowls and really amp them up. I think crunchy carrots and cabbage could be delicious.
So let’s talk about the homemade teriyaki sauce for a sec! It’s sooooooo easy, so don’t be scared off if this is your first rodeo with homemade sauces. I really love making this at home (opposed to buying it pre-made) because I can control what goes into the sauce. I’m always pretty disturbed when I pick up a bottle of teriyaki sauce and see it’s loaded with sugar, corn syrup, oils, and other nasty ingredients. I’ll save my sugar for cupcakes, thank you very much. So this sauce is made with honey, soy sauce, sriracha, ginger, and sesame oil. There’s a little cornstarch whisked in at the very end, just to thicken it up. Be sure to measure accurately when this step comes up; too much cornstarch will leave your sauce a giant goopy mess.
As far as the meatballs go, the process is pretty straightforward. You’ll mix all of the ingredients together; roll them out into tiny, bite-sized balls; flash fry them in a VERY hot pan, and pop them in the oven for 10-11 minutes.
Two things to keep in mind here:
1) The meatballs only need to fry for about 1 minute on each side. We’re just looking to get a little color on each side, not cook them.
2) Be sure you place the pan with oil in it on the burner before you start making the meatballs. This saves time and allows the oil to really heat up. Hot oil = crispy meatballs. If you’re worried about smoke, just crack a window or turn your fan on.
Once the meatballs have cooked, all you do is toss them in the sauce, plop them over the rice, and serve! I should note that I use instant rice in this recipe, which helps keep it under 30 minutes. Trader Joe’s sells a variety of microwaveable rice packages that I’ve come to love (not getting paid to say that!) and they’re ready in like 3 minutes. So be sure you either prepare your rice in advance or use instant rice to keep this meal a 30 minute situation.
Ok! So now you have all the details needed to throw your very own meatball bowl party. Go get your groove on. It’s gon be delicious! xoxo
Healthy 30 Minute Sriracha Teriyaki Meatball Bowls
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound ground turkey meat
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 3 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
- 1 scallion, white part only, minced
- 1 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 3 tablespoons oil (olive, vegetable, canola) for frying
For the Sriracha Teriyaki:
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup raw honey
- 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons water, divided
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
- 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
For the rice:
- 2 cups instant brown rice, cooked according to package instructions
- Scallions, for sprinkling
Instructions
For the meatballs:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Allow the oil to simmer (you want it very hot) while you prepare the meatballs.
- In a large bowl combine ground turkey meat, garlic, egg, cilantro, sriracha, soy, ginger, scallion, pepper, and panko. Slowly add the water, a few tablespoons at a time. The mixture should be very moist but still hold its shape when rolled into meatballs.
- Scoop one heaping tablespoon sized round of meat into your palm and roll it into a small ball; repeat until all meat has been rolled into meatballs.
- Fry meatballs in batches in the hot oil, 1-2 minutes on each side; or just until lightly browned.
- Place semi-cooked meatballs on prepared baking sheet. Once all meatballs have been panfried, place the baking sheet in the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes, or until they're cooked though.
- While the meatballs bake, make your sriracha teriyaki!
- In a small saucepan combine the soy sauce, honey, 1/2 cup of the water, sesame oil, sriracha sauce, and ginger. Heat over a medium-low flame and stir constantly until the honey is dissolved; about 3 minutes..
- In a small dish combine the cornstarch with the remaining 3 tablespoons of water, then pour it into the glaze, stir well to combine.
- Increase the heat to medium high. Cook the sauce, stirring constantly, just until thickened. This should only take 2 minutes. Once it's thickened remove from heat and stir in sesame seeds.
- At this point the meatballs should be ready to come out of the oven! Transfer them from the baking sheet straight into the pot with the sauce; stir to coat.
Assembly:
- Place 1/2 cup of rice in each bowl. Top with a few meatballs, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, and some chopped scallions! Enjoy!
Liz says
I’ve made these several times now so I figured I should leave a comment. These meatballs are so so so good! Thank you for this amazing recipe!!
Lynnette says
I realize this is an older post, but I just found it yesterday. I made it for dinner tonight. I did omit cilantro (we aren’t fans), I also threw coleslaw mix into the pan I fried meatballs in and cooked it to add. This was delicious! It is a bit of work. Nothing major. I think it took me about 45 mins to prepare. This will be made again for sure! Next time I will add the whole bag of coleslaw mix though. Thank you for sharing this!!
Becky says
I LOVE this recipe. I have made it so many times. The biggest issue is that it is absolutely NOT a 30 minute meal. It takes me at least an hour to prepare every single time I have made it, even when getting all my ingredients ready before. This should not deter anyone from making it, they should just be prepared for a much longer prep time than what is advertised. It’s more of a weekend meal or a meal to make if you have nothing else to do after work.
bakerbynature says
Hi Becky! Thank you for your thoughtful and honest comment! So happy you love this recipe, even though it takes some extra time in the kitchen.
Jenn says
My husband loved this recipe – said it was too he best new recipe I’ve tried in ages. Will definitely make again!
tikfj says
Damn!! those were good!!
bakerbynature says
Haha SO glad to hear it 🙂
inna says
what do u think willl these trn out with gr. turkey breast?
Kate says
I’ve done it and yummmmm to the max!
Betsy Maness says
OMG! I made these last night for dinner and I have to say they are delicious!! I can’t believe anyone would say these were bland. I made the recipe exactly as written and they have just the right amount of spice. I can’t wait to make them as an appetizer for my next party! Thank you so much for publishing it.
bakerbynature says
So glad you enjoyed it, Betsy 🙂
Kate says
Amazing!! This will be my go to!
bakerbynature says
Yay! So happy to hear it, Kate 🙂
Kate says
These are absolutely delicious. I made them once and was so pleased, I tripled the recipe and made it for Superbowl Sunday. They did not last. One thing, I made them exactly as the recipe called for the first time and they were VERY delicate. I left off the water the second time and they were much easier to transport from frying pan to baking sheet.
Definitely give these a try!!
bakerbynature says
So happy they were a hit, Kate!
Gabby says
THIS WAS DELICIOUS! I’m a sucker for anything with soy sauce in it. I made this recipe tonight for my family; the Sriracha and ginger definitely pop in the sauce. It was too much of a pop for a couple members of my family, but the rest of us LOVED IT! Thank you for sharing this recipe. Will definitely be making these again 🙂