New Year, New Meatball

A few months ago, we took a stab at sprucing up our side dishes with some butternut squash risotto. More recently, we took on adding twists to classic meatballs. The recipe for our teriyaki meatball bowls was inspired by a find on Pinterest. Instead of burying Italian meatballs in piles of pasta, the teriyaki meatballs come to the forefront of your dish visually and flavorfully. It’s the ginger in the meatball mix and the rich, tangy sauce that give these meatballs their unique kick.

Our grocery store venture for this recipe was less than successful -- no fresh ginger in sight; so we ended up using pickled ginger. We could also not find sesame seeds, and substituted the specified pork with ground turkey for the meatballs. This is a multi-stepper, but you can make your sauce, rice, and vegetables while your meatballs are in the oven. Here we go, this is what you are going to need…

For the Meatballs:

• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic [we use jarred garlic -- in everything!]
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce [low-sodium]
• ~ 2 tablespoons pickled ginger chopped into about 1/2-inch pieces
• Dash of pepper
• Dash of salt

For the Sauce:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce [low-sodium again]
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• ~ 2 tablespoons pickled ginger chopped into about 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  

For the Cauliflower Paste:

• 1-1/2 cups cauliflower [we use frozen in our house]
• 1-1/2 tablespoons sour cream [fat-free]
• Dash of pepper
• Dash of salt
  

For the Bowls:

• 1-1/2 cups jasmine rice 
• 1 cup of broccoli [frozen again]

After you have gathered all of your ingredients, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly. Okay, now you're all set to make some meatballs. Pre-heat your oven to 400°. Grab your large bowl and combine everything -- with your clean hands. Get in there, put some heart muscle into it. Once your meatball mixture is even, start rolling into 1-inch balls. Place them on a rack atop a cookie sheet so that they can bake evenly. You should get 20-30 meatballs. Get those suckers in the oven for 35-40 minutes.

The clock is running and you still have a few things to get through. No pressure, you've got this! On to the rice. Bring your water to a boil on your back burner and begin cooking your rice.

Look at you multi-tasking, you're on to the sauce already! In a medium-sized pot, combine your soy sauce, sugar, oil, vinegar, and ginger. Stir over low-heat until the sugar has dissolved. In a separate bowl, slowly add water to your cornstarch, stirring constantly until thickened. Turn up the heat on the sauce to medium and stir in the cornstarch. Continue to stir until the sauce has thickened to an even glaze. Turn the heat down.

Bowl or steam your cauliflower and broccoli separately. Take a moment to smell the meatballs and the tangy glaze…OK, I said a moment.

I came up with this wacky idea to create a cauliflower paste to introduce another vegetable to the dish as well as to balance the ginger with a creamy texture. It's super easy and may make it into some casserole dishes commonly served at our house. To prepare it, transfer your softened cauliflower to a food processor or blender and add the sour cream, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

Check on your sauce so that it doesn't get too thick, give your rice a healthy stir, and make sure your broccoli is done. Did you hear that? Your meatballs are done -- check out all you accomplished in those 35 minutes. I am proud of you!

Toss the warm meatballs in the glaze a few at a time and turn until covered.

Plate your rice, top with a layer of cauliflower paste, a few pieces of broccoli and your teriyaki glazed meatballs. Enjoy with chopsticks, if you are feeling up to it!

These bite-sized delights make a great dinner, but would be great appetizers or salad toppers too.