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Asian Turkey Meatballs with Orange Dipping Sauce (Serves 4)



Ground turkey was on sale at the grocery store this week, so I stocked up. I was feeling a bit creative in the kitchen and decided to try something new. The result was a delicious meatball recipe that was a smashing success at our family table. I served it with a choice of two dipping sauces: hoisin sauce and the orange dipping sauce recipe featured below.
This recipe is Henry-approved.
Henry completely devoured three meatballs at dinner and two more for lunch the following day.

Meatball Ingredients
½ cup panko or other bread crumbs
1-1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger
½ garlic clove
2 Tablespoons green onion
1 egg
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 pound ground turkey
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)
Asian Turkey Meatballs ready to bake.
Orange Dipping Sauce Ingredients
1 teaspoon fresh ginger
½ garlic clove
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
Asian Turkey Meatballs ready to eat.
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.

Peel and grate the ginger. Grate the garlic or press it through a garlic press. Set aside a portion of the ginger and garlic for the dipping sauce. Finely dice the green onion.

In a large bowl, mix together all the meatball ingredients until well combined. It works best to use your hands for this. Scoop out tablespoon sized portions. Use your hands to form them into approximately 25-30 meatballs and place them on the baking sheet.

Bake for 22-25 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Allow the meatballs to cool slightly before serving.

Meanwhile, combine all dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve the sugar (You can substitute the sugar with honey if your little one is over one year old). Microwave on high for 30-45 seconds until warm.

Pair with sticky rice and stir-fried vegetables.

A satisfied Henry after his meatball dinner.
How your kids can help
  • 1-year old: Playing with a few sheets of wax paper or parchment paper. Henry enjoyed exploring the new texture by crinkling and tearing it into strips.
  • 2-year old: Stirring the dipping sauce to dissolve the sugar
  • 3-year old: Using their hands to stir the meatball mixture.*
  • 4-year old: Using their hands to roll the meat mixture into balls.*
  • 5-year old: Peeling and grating the ginger and garlic. Heating the dipping sauce in the microwave.

* Remember to teach your kids about good kitchen hygiene, especially with raw meat. Be sure your kids wash their hands thoroughly with warm soapy water before and after handling the meatball mixture. Here is a guide to helping kids learn about proper hand washing and a fun hand washing song.
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