Emily Weeks, RDN, LD
Hi friends, happy Monday!
Today I’m excited to share with you an amazing recipe for spicy meatballs + fried rice. We love our Asian style food over here and I’m always trying to re-create our favorites at home. Fried rice is one of our favorites, plus any type of sweet and spicy meat.
By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the USA Rice Federation and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.
Today’s recipe is an entry for a recipe contest hosted by The Recipe Redux! The theme of this contest:
In honor of National Nutrition Month, the USA Rice Federation wants to see your nutritious and delicious recipes that feature U.S.-grown rice and the ways you encourage readers to Think Rice during National Nutrition Month and beyond. Look for the “Grown in the USA Rice” logo on packages of 100% domestically-grown rice in grocery stores.
We use rice quite frequently! Our favorites are whole grain brown rice, and occasionally wild or white. All types of rice have a place in a balanced diet. It’s a very affordable foundation for every meal, when combined with other healthy foods such as seafood, lean protein, vegetables, and fruits.We’ve been trying to watch our food budget closely round here, so rice has been on the menu. I love that a one pound bag of rice usually only costs $1.
U.S.-Grown rice is also sustainable, locally grown, and GMO-free. It’s also naturally gluten, sodium, cholesterol, and trans-fat free. Whole grains, such as brown rice, can help reduce your risk of chronic illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes and cancers. Research shows that eating rice can help lower blood pressure up to 34%.
To make this veggie fried rice, I stir-fried fresh veggies, eggs, soy sauce, garlic, , along with a few other ingredients. It comes together within minutes if you already have your rice cooked ahead of time. This is a great recipe to use if you have leftover rice from another meal.
The meatballs are coated in a spicy Sriracha sauce, which tastes awesome when combined with the rice!
Here’s the recipe for Spicy Asian Meatballs with Veggie Fried Rice:
- 1.5 pound ground turkey
- 3 tsp minced garlic
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Sriracha
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- Kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- sesame seeds, for garnish
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Sriracha
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, separated
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 cup chopped broccoli
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup chopped sugar snap peas
- 3 eggs
- 3 cups U.S.-grown brown rice, cooked & cooled
- 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the turkey, garlic, egg, soy sauce, olive oil, Sriracha, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt and pepper, to taste. Stir until well combined.
- Using a Tablespoon, roll the mixture into meatballs, and place into the baking dish. Bake for about 18 minutes, until all sides are browned and the meatballs are cooked through.
- Whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, brown sugar, olive oil, Sriracha, and half a cup of water in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 1 Tbsp of water. Stir into soy sauce mixture until thickened, about 2 minutes. Toss with cooked meatballs.
- Heat one Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic, broccoli, carrots and snap peas. Stir fry until soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Heat one more Tbsp of olive oil in the skillet and then add the eggs. Gently push in the pan until barely cooked, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the rice, cooked veggies, vinegar and soy sauce. Stir fry another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve with meatballs and sauce, garnish with sesame seeds!
This looks so yummy! Asian food is my fav and I have a ton of sriracha that needs to be used up – will have to make this soon. Pinned!
Thanks, Whitney! We love Asian food too :)
I have all of these ingredients to make this tonight!!! I was going to make plain jane meatballs but now I want these spicy Asian ones… things I never think of making on my own!!
They’re SO good. Spicy and flavorful and the sauce is amazing!
This looks amazing! Pinning for a future dinner! :)
Thanks, Rosi!
These look delicious! I’m definitely making them when I get home from vacation!
Thanks Elizabeth! They’re the perfect weeknight dinner :)
I’ve been on a meatball kick lately c/o my meatball loving toddler! And with a healthier fried rice?! Can’t beat that! Pinning!
Thanks Katie! I bet your toddler would love these, maybe try to reduce the amount of Sriracha if it’s too spicy :)
Fried rice is one of my favorite go-to meals! Brown rice is a staple in my life, hehehe. :D These look awesome!
These look amazing with the sesame seeds sprinkled on top. Great food styling!
Thanks, Serena!
love Asian food and this recipe looks awesome! How spicy are they? Just curious for my toddlers! Also, it’s 3 cups cooked rice, correct? Just checking! Pinning now to make when I’m home from vacation!
Yep, three cups cooked! They are medium hot, I would reduce the Sriracha probably by half just to make sure it’s not too spicy :)
Such a unique and tasty looking recipe! A great way to jazz up your typical fried rice dish.
Thanks Deanna! It was so good!
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