Asian Turkey Meatballs with Gluten Free Teriyaki Sauce

I really like teriyaki sauce. I used to really like the one Soyaki from Trader Joe’s and while there are some gluten-free teriyaki sauces available, there aren’t any that aren’t too sweet and with the chunks of garlic and ginger. To remedy this random and very specific teriyaki craving, I decided to make my own! And as far as I can remember this was a pretty close replica of the teriyaki sauce I’ve been missing.

I also recommend baking your meatballs. Baking them makes way less of a mess to clean up and it’s healthier than frying them too.  I served my meatballs with brown rice and spinach sautéed with garlic. The teriyaki sauce was fantastic with the rice and spinach as well as the meatballs.

 

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Gluten Free Teriyaki Sauce

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

• 1 1/4 pound extra lean ground turkey
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs
• 1+ teaspoon sriracha or asian chile sauce
• 1 egg

For the Sauce:

• 1/2 cup gluten free, low sodium tamari or soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons honey
• 3+ cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch knob of fresh ginger, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon water

Instructions

For the Meatballs:

1. Heat oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl, combine turkey, carrot, green onions, cilantro, breadcrumbs, chile sauce and egg. Gently mix to combine and form into 1 to 1 1/2 inch meatballs.
3. Place meatballs on a parchment lined, rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until meatballs are cooked through.

For the Sauce:

1. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce, except for the cornstarch and last tablespoon of water, in a saucepan on medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. When sugar is dissolved, mix 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water. Heat sauce on medium high heat and add cornstarch water mixture. Simmer until thickened