Spicy Turkey Meatballs with Peanut-Broccoli Slaw & Rice

The Mealime App has been my go-to for awhile now when I feel totally uninspired in the kitchen. Put in the ingredient you want to use up and voila. Or choose a few for the week and it will make you a shopping list.  Most of the recipes are simple over all - no complicated cooking techniques required. 

Last night I wanted to use up some ground turkey I had in the freezer, so decided to try this one with meatballs tossed in a sauce, rice and a broccoli slaw topped with a peanut dressing. This recipe was simple, but did take a little more work and created more pans to wash than some of the others I tried - bowl for salad, pan to bake meatballs on, pot to cook rice in and pot to simmer the meatball sauce in. However, the cooking instructions were super simple and easy to follow.

Overall I am happy with how it turned out.  When I make it again I might tweak the sauces just a bit to make them more my own and my taste preference.  And I think the slaw needed a little more dressing (but I might have added too much slaw mix). In the end it was tasty and healthy and an all in one meal which I like. I didn't have to figure out what to serve with it.  Best of all, I didn't find myself hungry later in the evening. I hope one day to make the spicier version of sauce, but it's always a balancing act where Glen eats little spice. 

Glen loves to finish with a little something after dinner and I rarely keep sweets in the house, so I washed a bag of beautiful dark ripe Bing Cherries and set them out for him to nibble on after. It finished the meal off perfectly for him.

I have offered the 2 serving recipe below, but on the website HERE you can adjust this for 4 or 6 servings. I always find Mealime's serving sizes generous.  If you having growing active teenagers in the house you can up the recipe servings or add things like rolls and cut up veggies on the side. 

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Spicy Turkey Meatballs with Peanut-Broccoli Slaw & Rice

2 Servings. 

Ingredients - 

1/2 C                   Basmati Rice
1 C                      Water

Meatballs -
¾ lb.                   Ground turkey

¼ C                     Panko bread crumbs 

1                         Egg 

¼ tsp                  Garlic powder

¼ tsp                  Onion powder

¼ tsp                   Salt 

¼ tsp                   Black pepper

1 tsp                    Extra virgin olive oil or cooking spray to coat cooking sheet

Sauce for Meatballs -
2                         Cloves garlic

1 inch                 Piece ginger root
1 T                     Soy sauce 

1 T                     Rice vinegar 

1 T                     Toasted sesame oil 

2 tsp                   Chili-garlic sauce (spicy) for mild you can sub Sweet Thai Chili Sauce

2 tsp                   Honey

Broccoli Slaw -
1 clove                Garlic

2 T                      Water 

1 T                      Natural peanut butter 

1 tsp                    Rice vinegar 

1 tsp                    Soy sauce
6 oz.                    Broccoli slaw (1/2 of a package)

1 T                      Sesame seeds (to sprinkle on top)

Instructions - 

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Using a strainer or colander, rinse the rice under cold, running water, then drain and transfer to a small saucepan. Add water and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Cook until done, about 15-18 minutes. When done remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, egg, and spices; mix with your hands until well combined. Coat the bottom of a baking dish with oil or cooking spray.  Using a tablespoon measure, form the turkey mixture into rounded meatballs and place in the dish. Place in the oven and bake until golden and cooked through 15-18 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and mince the garlic; wash, peel, and mince or grate the ginger. Place in another small saucepan. Add soy sauce, vinegar, oil, chili-garlic sauce (or sweet thai chili sauce for mild version), and honey to the saucepan with the ginger and garlic; whisk to combine. Bring the sauce to boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently; reduce heat to low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.

Peel and mince garlic; add to a medium bowl along with water, peanut butter, vinegar, and soy sauce. Whisk to combine the dressing. (Note - Combining the peanut butter wasn't easy. I ended up warming it slightly in the microwave first.  Also best to start with the peanut butter then add the other liquids one at a time, stirring until combined.) Add broccoli slaw to bowl with dressing and toss to combine.

Remove meatballs from oven, drizzle with sauce, and toss to coat.

To serve, divide rice and peanut slaw between plates. Top rice with meatballs and sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and enjoy!