Thai red curry turkey meatballs recipe

I know I've lost all credibility with you because I say this all the time, but these might just be my favorite of all the turkey meatballs I've made. Greektown turkey meatballs remain my husband Ted's top choice; he likes to buy a crispy-fresh Greek salad from Giorgiana's Market, across the street from his office, and add a couple of meatballs to make a complete lunch. We've both cut way down on the amount of bread we're eating, so I fantasize about how good these Thai red curry turkey meatballs would be, sliced in half, piled on a baguette with some pickled vegetables and arugula, Vietnamese-banh-mi style. Instead, I dunk a meatball in sweet chili sauce and eat it straight off my chopsticks, letting the gentle warmth of the curry paste and the sweet sauce mingle in my mouth.

Thai red curry turkey meatballs

From the pantry, you'll need: ground turkey, plain dry bread crumbs, plain nonfat Greek yogurt, eggs, Thai red curry paste, ground coriander, reduced-sodium soy sauce, kosher salt, fresh black pepper.

The recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of curry paste, though the end result is not very spicy at all; remember, ground turkey is quite bland and needs aggressive seasoning to perk it up. However, if you're not sure, add half of the amount of curry paste. You can always add the rest after you've tasted your test patty.

Makes 12 large meatballs (2-3 per serving).

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey (I use 93% fat-free)
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 large egg
3 Tbsp red curry paste
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
Thai sweet chili sauce, for dipping

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a Silpat (silicone mat) or spray with cooking spray, and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the sweet chili sauce. Use your hands to bring the ingredients together, making sure the seasonings are well distributed throughout the mixture.

Heat a tiny nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add a drop of olive or canola oil, and 1 tablespoon of the turkey mixture. Cook for 1 minute on each side, until cooked through. Taste to make sure the seasoning of your turkey is correct. Adjust with salt or pepper, if needed.

Use an ice cream scoop with a release (called a disher) to make large meatballs, or divide the mixture into 12 equal parts and roll the meatballs with your hands. Place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake at 425F on the middle rack of the oven for 18-21 minutes, until the meatballs are lightly browned on top.

Serve over rice, wrapped in lettuce leaves, or in a salad.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Turkey, cranberry and basil meatballs
Green chile turkey meatballs
Salmon choo chee
Roasted shrimp appetizer with spicy peanut sauce
Red curry beef with mushrooms, red bell pepper and cilantro

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Red curry meatballs with Vietnamese dipping sauce, from Jeanette's Healthy Living
Chicken breasts with cilantro and red Thai curry peanut sauce, from Kalyn's Kitchen
Thai green curry chicken, from David Lebovitz
Red curry with turkey, sweet potato, and baby bok choy, from Healthy Green Kitchen
Turkey and kale red curry fried rice, from In My Tiny Kitchen

Want more meatball recipes? Get Meatballs, my e-book packed with amazing, crowd-pleasing, family-friendly low-fat turkey meatball recipes with bold around-the-world flavors, plus full-color photos and a few fun videos. With the FREE Kindle Reading App, great meatballs will always be just one click away on any computer, tablet or smart phone. Click here to learn more.

Thai red curry turkey meatballs

From the pantry, you'll need: ground turkey, plain dry bread crumbs, plain nonfat Greek yogurt, eggs, Thai red curry paste, ground coriander, reduced-sodium soy sauce, kosher salt, fresh black pepper.

The recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of curry paste, though the end result is not very spicy at all; remember, ground turkey is quite bland and needs aggressive seasoning to perk it up. However, if you're not sure, add half of the amount of curry paste. You can always add the rest after you've tasted your test patty.

Makes 12 large meatballs (2-3 per serving).

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey (I use 93% fat-free)
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 large egg
3 Tbsp red curry paste
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
Thai sweet chili sauce, for dipping

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a Silpat (silicone mat) or spray with cooking spray, and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the sweet chili sauce. Use your hands to bring the ingredients together, making sure the seasonings are well distributed throughout the mixture.

Heat a tiny nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add a drop of olive or canola oil, and 1 tablespoon of the turkey mixture. Cook for 1 minute on each side, until cooked through. Taste to make sure the seasoning of your turkey is correct. Adjust with salt or pepper, if needed.

Use an ice cream scoop with a release (called a disher) to make large meatballs, or divide the mixture into 12 equal parts and roll the meatballs with your hands. Place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake at 425F on the middle rack of the oven for 18-21 minutes, until the meatballs are lightly browned on top.

Serve over rice, wrapped in lettuce leaves, or in a salad.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Turkey, cranberry and basil meatballs
Green chile turkey meatballs
Salmon choo chee
Roasted shrimp appetizer with spicy peanut sauce
Red curry beef with mushrooms, red bell pepper and cilantro

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Red curry meatballs with Vietnamese dipping sauce, from Jeanette's Healthy Living
Chicken breasts with cilantro and red Thai curry peanut sauce, from Kalyn's Kitchen
Thai green curry chicken, from David Lebovitz
Red curry with turkey, sweet potato, and baby bok choy, from Healthy Green Kitchen
Turkey and kale red curry fried rice, from In My Tiny Kitchen

Want more meatball recipes? Get Meatballs, my e-book packed with amazing, crowd-pleasing, family-friendly low-fat turkey meatball recipes with bold around-the-world flavors, plus full-color photos and a few fun videos. With the FREE Kindle Reading App, great meatballs will always be just one click away on any computer, tablet or smart phone. Click here to learn more.

Comments

Yum! Seems like some of us are on a Thai kick this week! I absolutely love red curry. I haven't made red curry meatballs in a while, so I am pinning these right now to try.

I wonder if I could use a vegan bean/tofu ball recipe I have (with a little wheat gluten) and adapt this recipe. It sounds like something I'm definitely going to have to try!! Thanks for the inspiration.

what a good idea to put curry paste in ground meat....!

I love the idea of red curry meatballs. Out of all the Thai curry pastes, red curry is my favorite!

Hehehe, well we have a list of all your favorite turkey meatballs and the top one is always changing, but that's OK. We get to see many phases of your meatball love affair :)

Jeanette, I love that Thai curry paste is in the forefront this week! Thanks for pinning -- I hope lots of people will fall in love with these meatballs.

Amy, I've never made tofu "meatballs", but the seasonings in this recipe would be delicious with tofu, so why not give it a try?

David, almost everything is better with curry paste. Truly.

Kalyn, same here. I use red most often, and sometimes green, too. But red is my go-to curry paste.

Ben, I know, they are all my favorites! But these turkey meatballs zoomed right to the top of my list.

Oh my gosh!!! I just did a post on how much I love Thai curry paste!

I love that you admitted you eat it right off the chopstick, because I was going to say that these would be so much fun eaten off of sticks, especially at a party.

I'm trying to think of a time when I've visited your site and haven't said, "I must make that recipe!" I don't think it has ever happened. You just keep putting out wonderful, mouth-watering recipes, Lydia.

Pam, red curry paste is in the air this week!

Susan, you could make these meatballs much smaller and serve them on toothpicks as an appetizer. What a fun way to start a meal.

Cookin' Canuck, what a lovely thing to say. I'm so grateful for your kindness.

What a great recipe! I'm going to try them in lettuce wraps with my coconut-ginger sticky rice. Now, I'm hungry all over again...

Hmmmmm... I think I've never done meatballs in my life but it's definitely time to do so :) do u also have a similar recipe but with grated veg instead of meat?

Susan, these would be delicious in lettuce wraps, maybe with a drop of sweet chili sauce and your sticky rice. Yum!

Nadisunshine, I have lots of recipes for turkey meatballs, but I've never been interested in adapting them for vegetarian. Many of the seasoning combinations will work just as well with veggies, but you'd need some sort of binder.

Seasoning was perfect, I went heavy on the cilantro and to keep the carbs low I used 1/4c shredded coconut instead of the breadcrumbs. Would make again.