Bok choy is quite good if you have never tried it. You’ll need to rinse it well after you cut it to remove any dirt. It is a type of Chinese cabbage, with a crisp and savory flavor. In this recipe, the boy choy is sauteed with salt and oil, but you can always add other spices like ginger and soy sauce. The sauce and meatballs in this recipe provide so much flavor while the simplicity of the bok choy and plain white rice is nice and balanced.
The meatball recipe can be doubled and freezes well if you want to have another batch on hand for a busy week down the road. It is also a great lunch option, as it heats up well the next day, even the vegetables!
I hope this dish provides you with some inspiration for mixing up those weeknight recipes.
Happy cooking!
Asian Meatballs with Sweet & Spicy Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients
Meatballs
- ⅓ cup yellow onion, minced
- ½ cup red bell peppers, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
- ¼ cup green onion, chopped
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 pound ground turkey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup whole-wheat bread crumbs
Sauce
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 teaspoons sambal (chili paste)
Sides
- 1 cup rice
- 2 cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pound baby bok choy
- 2 teaspoons oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375F degrees.
- Prepare two sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside.
- In medium pan, saute onion and red bell pepper for 3 to 5 minutes until softened. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, add garlic, ginger, green onion, egg, oil, soy sauce, bread crumbs and salt and stir to combine.
- Once your peppers and onions have cooled, add them to the large bowl of other ingredients. Add ground turkey and mix until combined evenly, being careful not to over mix.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop out about 2 tablespoons of your meat mixture and gently form into balls. Place meatballs on prepared sheet pans.
- Place meatballs in oven and let cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- Remove from oven and set aside.
- While meatballs are cooking, add rice and water to medium sauce pan, add salt and bring to boil.
- Decrease rice to a simmer, cover and let cook until all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave covered until ready to serve.
- In the same pan you sautéed the peppers and onions, add oil and cook the bok choy over medium-high heat until slightly wilted and charred, around 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside
- In the same pan, add sauce ingredients and stir to combine. Once bubbling, add cooked meatballs just to coat with the sauce.
- Save extra sauce for drizzling or for leftovers.
