Turkey-Scallion Meatballs with Soy-Ginger Glaze (GF)

These Turkey-Scallion Meatballs with Soy-Ginger Glaze would be a great change of pace from traditional football party fare for the Super Bowl coming up on Feb 8th! It gives your palate a break from the heat of spicy wings and is always a popular appetizer. If you bake them, you can cook a bunch at a time making it all much easier for you.

You might want to double the recipe just to have delicious leftovers the next day so you enjoy them all over again!

Last week I saw a recipe from the New York Times that sounded so good it had my mouth watering, and with a party coming up, it was a perfect excuse to try it out! If you don’t already follow the NY Times site, you should. There is always something interesting to read and some of this country’s best recipes have come from their food section.

The recipe I saw was for Asian-flavored meatballs with a soy-ginger glaze. What a great idea to combine those flavors with ground turkey, an ingredient we don’t use nearly enough. Fairly neutral in its own taste, it takes on the flavors of what you put with it. Being naturally quite low in fat makes it an excellent substitution for part or all of the ground beef or pork called for in any recipe. I always make my meatloaf with at least half ground turkey and no one can ever guess that I have made a “healthy” version! I always use dark turkey meat which has more flavor and substance.

Ground turkey is challenging to work with because it is so soft. I used a cookie scoop to form the meatballs and didn’t try to roll them into perfect balls. I left one side flat which helps keep them from rolling around on the baking tray. If you want to roll them by hand, I recommend using latex gloves to protect your hands from getting sticky and messy.

If you want to mix this with another ground meat, I love turkey with pork, and chicken or beef would also be good options. If you do use pork, be sure you use plain raw ground pork and not sausage. The seasonings in the sausage wouldn’t go well with this Asian sauce.

The original recipe called for frying the meatballs in oil. I did fry a few which were delicious that way. But because some of our guests were watching their weight, I wanted to try baking the meatballs. They came out beautifully, and with the glazing sauce, absolutely delicious. I doubled the recipe and made the meatballs twice the recommended size, so the yield was the same, but they fed more people.

I used a 2 tbsp cookie scoop to make the portions and it went incredibly fast. I dropped the scoops straight onto a lightly greased baking sheet and then popped them in the oven at 350°F (180°C) with convection. About 20 minutes later, they came out perfectly cooked, firm to the touch, and still moist. Score one for the healthy technique! The dark soy-based glaze makes up for any loss of browning from frying.

Because of time constraints, I didn’t reduce the sauce as much as I should have. Had I given it the extra time it would have been a slightly thicker dipping sauce, which I would have preferred, but the flavors were wonderful. Slightly salty and sweet, this was Umami at its best.

Don’t skimp on the fresh ginger – it makes a huge difference in the final product. Because it is so fibrous, I always make sure to sharpen my knives before and after cutting a lot of it. Sharp knives allow you to use less pressure, reducing the chances of a knife slipping and cutting you!

Because one of our guests isn’t too crazy about the flavor of cilantro, I substituted Italian parsley for half the amount. I liked the addition and the herbaceous flavor of the parsley added an interesting dimension. Next time I would use my food processor to chop the scallions and herbs for a finer texture, but the rustic quality of the meatballs was attractive and my idea of great food – not fussy, but with tremendous flavor.

This meatball combination would be wonderful as a filling for empanadas, wontons, or spring rolls. And you could use it as the base for an Asian-flavored layered pasta dish, like an Asian lasagna. The possibilities are nearly endless. Let your imagination go wild!

Give these Turkey-Scallion Meatballs with Soy Ginger Glaze a try soon. They are the perfect beginning to any meal as an appetizer or snacking food on game day. I will be serving these for our Super Bowl party this year!

Enjoy!

If you try this recipe, let me know! Please leave a star rating in the recipe card, comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it @theheritagecook on Instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day and I love hearing from you!

 

Ingredients needed for Turkey Scallion Meatballs with Soy Ginger Glaze:

• Sauce: dark brown sugar, water, GF soy sauce, mirin, fresh ginger, coriander, peppercorns
• Meatballs: ground turkey, scallions, cilantro or parsley, sesame oil, GF soy sauce, black pepper, vegetable oil

 

PRO Tip:

If you are baking these meatballs, you may want to boost the seasonings in the meatballs slightly to compensate for the loss of fat from frying … fat is what helps transport flavors to the tongue and consequently the impression of taste.

 

How to make Turkey Scallion Meatballs with Soy Ginger Glaze:

1. Make the Sauce: Combine the brown sugar and water in a nonstick saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the soy sauce, mirin, ginger, coriander, and peppercorns. Simmer until reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Strain sauce through a sieve to remove solids.
2. Prepare the Meatballs: Mix together the turkey, scallions, cilantro, sesame oil, soy sauce, and pepper in a bowl. Roll into small meatballs no bitter than a bite or two, or use a cookie scoop to form them.
3. To Fry: Cover the bottom of the skillet with vegetable oil. Heat and working in batches, cook the meatballs until well browned on all sides. Repeat with remaining meatballs. Place cooked meatballs on a platter and pour the sauce over each one. Serve with toothpicks.
4. To Bake: Place meatballs slightly apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375°F (191°C) for 15 to 20 minutes or until an instant read thermometer hits about 160°F (71°C) in the center of the meatballs. Place cooked meatballs on a platter and pour some of the sauce over each one. Serve with remaining sauce for dipping.

 

PRO Tip:

If you don’t have mirin available, you can use an equal amount of sake and add four tablespoons of granulated sugar.

 

Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):

• Kitchen scale
• Chef’s knife
• Mixing bowls
• Nonstick saucepan
• Sieve
• Skillet
• Baking sheet pans
• Parchment paper sheets

 

* Soy is one of the places where gluten hides – they add wheat for the American market. Be sure you have gluten-free soy sauce to use in this recipe. Kikkoman and San-J both have GF versions.

** The major gluten-free organizations have declared that distilled alcohols are gluten free. Wine is also considered safe. For some very sensitive people wine may cause issues. If you have issues with wine, look for a winery that uses only stainless steel containers to age their wines.

*** If you are using ground pork instead of turkey, be certain you are not buying sausage. It has already been seasoned and those flavors won’t go with the Asian-inspired sauce of this recipe.

You will get the best and most consistent results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking. And use grams, they are much more accurate than pounds and ounces.

All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.

 

 

 

 

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