Gochujang turkey meatballs with rice and cucumber
33 min · 40 g protein · 449 cals / serving
Tender turkey meatballs packed with scallion, garlic and ginger, roasted until browned, then tossed in a sticky, spicy-sweet gochujang and honey glaze that caramelises onto every one, with broccoli roasted on the same tray and tossed in the glaze. Served over jasmine rice with a cold smashed cucumber salad dressed in rice vinegar, sesame and chili, and a scatter of scallions and toasted sesame seeds.
Ingredients
Rice
- 2/3 cup jasmine rice, rinsed
- 1 cup water
Meatballs
- 1/2 small zucchini, coarsely grated and squeezed dry
- 1 large egg white
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, panko
- 5 green onions, finely sliced, a handful of greens kept to finish
- 3 cloves garlic, grated
- 2 tsp ginger, grated
- 2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 3 cups small florets broccoli, in small florets
Glaze
- 2 1/2 tbsp gochujang
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp water
Smashed cucumber
- 3 small (or 1 large English cucumber) cucumbers, smashed and torn in bite-size pieces
- 4 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or Korean chili flakes
To serve
- 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Steps
- Heat the oven to 425°F and line a sheet pan with parchment. Put the rice and water in a small pot with a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave it covered.
- Mix both turkeys, the grated zucchini, the egg white, breadcrumbs, scallions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and salt with your hands until just combined. With damp hands roll into 20 walnut-sized balls and set them on the pan. Roast 12–14 minutes, until browned and cooked through (165°F); after the first 3–4 minutes, scatter the broccoli florets around the meatballs with a pinch of salt so they roast for the last 10 minutes and char at the tips.
- While they roast, smash the cucumbers with the flat of a knife or a rolling pin until they crack open, tear them into bite-size pieces and toss with a pinch of salt. After 5 minutes pour off the water, then toss with the rice vinegar, sesame oil and chili flakes.
- Stir the glaze ingredients together in a large skillet and bubble over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, until glossy and slightly thickened.
- Tip the hot meatballs and broccoli into the glaze and toss until coated and sticky. Serve over the rice with the cucumber salad, sprinkled with the reserved scallion greens and the sesame seeds.
Good to know
Why two kinds of turkey?
The 99% breast keeps them lean, the 93% keeps them juicy, and the grated zucchini melts into the meat and keeps every meatball moist without tasting of anything. All 93% works and gives slightly softer, richer meatballs, at about 56 instead of 62; all breast meat tends to dry out.
Can I air-fry them?
Yes: 400°F for 9–10 minutes in a single layer, shaking once, then toss in the glaze the same way.
Meal prep?
The glazed meatballs keep 4 days in the fridge and freeze well. Keep the cucumber salad separate and make it fresh if you can; it takes five minutes.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 98
- Protein
- (36%)
- 9 g
- Fat
- (22%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (42%)
- 11 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 232 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1795 kcal goes into the pot and 2129 g of ingredients comes out as about 1835 g of food: 98 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.