Spicy Korean-Inspired Meatballs
These Spicy Korean-Inspired Meatballs are tasty, versatile, and lightened up! To make these a bit leaner, I use a blend of lean ground beef and ground turkey breast, but the overall flavor is definitely beefy! These meatballs are packed with flavor from the spicy gochujang red chili paste, fresh ginger, green onions, savory garlic and soy sauce, and the nutty sesame oil. You can serve them on their own with your favorite dipping sauce, on slider buns with condiments, or as part of a rice and veggie bowl as pictured. Not only are these Spicy Korean-Inspired Meatballs flavorful and delicious, four meatballs is just 199 calories or 3 WW Points on the current Weight Watchers program. To view your current WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app, click here!
Ingredient Notes
- Meat: I have found that using a 50/50 blend of lean ground beef and ground turkey breast results in very beefy flavor overall, but with fewer WW Points and calories. I highly recommend it!
- Gochujang: This fermented red chili paste is a spicy ingredient in Korean dishes. I have had no trouble finding it in my local grocery stores and actually used my store brand (Wegmans) version of it in this recipe. It is likely to be found near the other Asian sauces in the grocery store aisles.
- Panko Bread Crumbs: I like to use panko, but if you don’t have it on hand you can use regular unseasoned bread crumbs or crackers you run through the food processor (may change the nutrition info and WW Points).
- Ginger: Fresh ginger has a distinct flavor that adds a lot to a recipe! I do recommend using fresh ginger here if you can, but I’ve also seen jarred minced ginger which can be used as a substitute for a milder flavor.
- Sesame Oil: I love sesame oil. A little bit of sesame oil adds so much flavor to recipes, or any meat or veggies you cook in it! It’s definitely worth buying a little bottle to keep in your kitchen!
Serving Ideas
- On Their Own: As I mentioned above, I think these meatballs could be great served on their own with your favorite prepared Asian sauce for dipping or to drizzle over the top. I adapted this recipe from NY Times Cooking and they recommended a dipping sauce of two parts soy sauce to one part white vinegar. I think something sweeter like a light drizzle of honey or hoisin or teriyaki sauces (I know, not Korean) would be delicious as well.
- In a Rice Bowl: I ate these over white rice with cucumbers, carrots, and a drizzle of chili sauce and sprinkle of sesame seeds over the top. It was delicious! I made the chili sauce from this Wellness Mama recipe but used soy sauce instead of coconut aminos and used a quarter of all the ingredients listed so that I’d have about 2 teaspoons per serving to drizzle over the top. It was spicy, but worked well with the rice and cucumbers cutting the heat! You could also use a store-bought sauce or dressing you like.
- As a Meatball Slider: You could also serve these meatballs on slider buns! Maybe mix a little light mayo with your favorite Asian chili sauce and add some shaved carrots and cucumber slices?
More Tasty Asian-Inspired Recipes
Looking for more tasty lightened up Asian-inspired recipes? Check out my Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Burger, Korean-Inspired Ground Turkey, Sticky Honey Coriander Chicken Bites, Crab Rangoon, Garlic Green Bean and Turkey Stir Fry, Chicken Lo Mein, Vegetable Fried Rice, Sweet and Spicy Roasted Cauliflower, Teriyaki Steak Lettuce Wraps, Thai Turkey with Carrot Noodles, Asian Chicken Wonton Cups, Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry, Cashew and Basil Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Teriyaki Chicken and Rice Casserole, and more in the Asian category of my recipe index!
Spicy Korean-Inspired Meatballs
Ingredients
- 8 oz 95% lean ground beef, (½ a pound)
- 8 oz 99% lean ground turkey breast, (½ a pound)
- ½ cup plain panko breadcrumbs
- 3 medium scallions, the green parts, sliced
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon gochujang hot pepper paste
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all the meatball ingredients and stir together with a fork until combined.
- On a clean, dry surface (like a cutting board), separate your meat mixture into 16 equal piles. Roll each little pile into a ball. Place each ball on the prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes until cooked through.
Notes
199 calories, 11 g carbs, 3 g sugars, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 27 g protein, 1 g fiber, 491 mg sodium (from myfitnesspal.com) Adapted from NY Times Cooking
Do these freeze well?
i made these last night as part of a finger food platter and served with gochujang mayo. Im a light weight when it comes to spice but they were delicious and definitely making again.
yummy!! Thanks for sharing
Yummy! Thanks for sharing!!
It’s incredible! We can really benefit from your excellent and helpful post! We really appreciate you taking the time to share with us.