Description
These Asian Glazed Turkey Meatballs are a flavorful and healthy twist on traditional meatballs, featuring lean ground turkey blended with garlic, scallions, and ginger, baked to perfection and coated in a tangy, savory hoisin-soy glaze. Perfect as an appetizer or main dish, they’re garnished with sesame seeds and fresh scallions for an added crunch and burst of flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 2 lbs ground turkey breast
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, plain, unseasoned
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Fresh cracked pepper, to taste
Glaze
- 1/2 cup Hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ginger, fresh or paste
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
- Scallions, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) to prepare for baking the meatballs evenly.
- Prepare Meatball Mixture: Mince the garlic and chop the scallions finely. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground turkey, eggs, panko breadcrumbs, minced garlic, chopped scallions, ground ginger, kosher salt, and freshly cracked pepper. Mix thoroughly but gently to avoid overworking the meat.
- Form Meatballs: Using a small scooper or your hands, form about 24 equal-sized meatballs, each approximately 1.5 ounces for uniform cooking.
- Arrange Meatballs: Liberally spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray and place one meatball in each cup for even cooking and shape retention. Alternatively, you can lay meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper if a muffin tin is unavailable.
- Bake Meatballs: Bake the meatballs in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until cooked through and lightly browned on the outside.
- Prepare Glaze: Meanwhile, mince the garlic for the glaze. In a saucepan, whisk together Hoisin sauce, reduced sodium soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, corn starch, water, minced garlic, and fresh or paste ginger over medium heat. Stir frequently to prevent lumps and cook until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.
- Glaze Meatballs: Once meatballs are cooked, add them to the simmering glaze sauce in the saucepan. Toss gently and cook together for another 1-2 minutes to let the meatballs absorb the flavorful glaze.
- Garnish and Serve: Transfer the glazed meatballs to a serving dish. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and additional chopped scallions for a fresh, nutty garnish. Serve immediately for best flavor and texture.
Notes
- Using ground turkey breast keeps the meatballs lean and healthy but prevents drying out by not overmixing the ingredients.
- If you don’t have a mini muffin tin, forming meatballs on a baking sheet works just as well.
- Adjust the thickness of the glaze by adding a little more water if it becomes too thick or cooking longer if it is too thin.
- These meatballs can be served with steamed rice or noodles for a complete meal.
- To make ahead, bake the meatballs and store them separately from the glaze in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat and glaze before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 meatball
- Calories: 85
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 2.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
