Vietnamese-Style Turkey Meatballs with Yogurt Sauce Recipe

This is a protein-packed dish with a few modern twists that features a commonly utilized Vietnamese ingredient, lemongrass.

Ingredients

Meatballs
1 pound ground white meat turkey (93% lean, 7% fat)
1 lemon, juice and zest (or 1 tablespoon chopped lemongrass)
2 green onions, sliced
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro chopped
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon ground ginger ground
Salt to taste (optional)

Yogurt sauce
1 (5.3 ounce) container plain Greek yogurt
¼ teaspoon turmeric
2 green onions, sliced
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro chopped

Directions

Before you begin: Wash your hands.

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, thoroughly mix together the ground turkey, lemon juice and zest (or lemongrass), green onions, cilantro, turmeric, garlic, ginger and optional salt.
3. Using a tablespoon measuring spoon, portion out the meat mixture and roll portions into one-inch meatballs. Place meatballs on a foil-lined sheet tray and bake for 15 minutes. Check to ensure internal temperature is 165°F; if not, cook until it reaches 165°F.
4. While meatballs are cooking, make the yogurt sauce: Mix together the Greek yogurt, turmeric, green onions and cilantro in a small serving dish.
5. Remove meatballs from oven and serve immediately with the yogurt dipping sauce.

Nutrition Analysis

Serving size: 5 meatballs
Serves 4

Calories: 231; Total Fat: 13g; Saturated Fat: 5g; Cholesterol: 91mg; Sodium: 92mg; Total Carbohydrate: 4g; Dietary Fiber: 1g; Sugars: 2g; Protein: 24g; Potassium: 370mg; Phosphorus: 278mg

Tessa Nguyen, RD, LDN, is a chef and registered dietitian consultant in the food and nutrition industries. She shares culturally diverse recipes on her website, Tastenutritionconsulting.com and YouTube channel, Tessa’s Table.