These simple Asian meatballs are a crowd pleaser! Kids like them just as much as adults do, and they make a quick and easy dinner. These meatballs are gluten free, egg free, and dairy free. Packed with flavor and nutrition, you may want to double the recipe. They won’t last long!
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Who doesn’t love a good meatball? There is something sort of fun about eating little balls, which may explain the popularity of meatballs among children. Adults too, for that matter!
They need to taste good, though. Dry or bland meatballs are a lot less fun. These Asian meatballs have loads of flavor that kids and adults alike will enjoy.
Meatballs also need to fit your diet. While this meatball recipe works for anyone and requires no particularly special ingredients, it is also gluten free, egg free, and dairy free. There are no grains or refined sugars in it, either, meaning that most people can eat the meatballs.
However, these meatballs do not taste like “special diet food” at all! I have served them to people used to the Standard American Diet and been asked for the recipe. They are delicious. Double the recipe!
This is also a fairly quick recipe. While it takes some time to roll a bunch of meatballs, and they require cooking time plus time to simmer in the sauce, you can pull the dish together in a reasonable amount of time and make the other components of your meal while the cooking is going on.
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How can I make Asian meatballs for a special diet?
The nice thing is that you don’t need any specialty ingredients. No trips to extra shops for expensive items. A couple ingredients might be unusual, but they are readily available in the grocery store. There isn’t any outlandish technique needed, either!
gluten free
Many meatball recipes call for bread crumbs or maybe flour. While there is nothing at all wrong with making meatballs that way, there is also no need for flour or bread to make a good meatball. If you can’t eat bread crumbs or grains for some reason, or if you just don’t have any on hand, you can still make delicious meatballs.
dairy free
Many meatball recipes call for milk along with bread crumbs. Again, if you can use bread crumbs and milk, feel free! Also, the milk is unnecessary, not to mention a bit odd in an Asian style meatball. Of course, you could use some other form of milk than cow milk, like coconut or almond.
egg free
Most meatball recipes call for an egg or two. This is a great way to help the meatball hold together. If you can eat eggs, you might like to add a couple of eggs to this recipe. However, you don’t need eggs to make the meatballs. They will hold together fine if you are sure to cook one side completely before turning them.
So what do I use in the meatballs?
Well, of course, meat. I usually use ground beef. Pork and turkey also work well, and I assume chicken would be similar to turkey. Besides the meat, you will need:
- salt— just enough to taste, about 1 teaspoon per pound
- pepper— optional, but 1/2 teaspoon adds flavor
- minced garlic— accounts for a lot of the flavor before you add the sauce
- fresh, grated ginger— with the garlic, ginger provides most of the flavor
- grated zucchini— sounds bizarre, but lends juiciness to the meatballs. You could leave it out if using beef or pork. If you use turkey or chicken, you really needs to add something to combat the dryness of those meats for a pleasing result. Does it have to be zucchini? No, and I will list some alternatives later on. I recommend the zucchini no matter what meat you use because it adds moisture without any flavor. You will get a few extra meatballs,too, since it adds a little bulk. (I also recommend grated zucchini to improve the texture of turkey breakfast sausage!)
The sauce
While you can make the meatballs entirely without sauce, and even enjoy them, the sauce takes them to a whole new level of flavor! You simply add three ingredients to the pan once the meatballs are cooked, then let them simmer for awhile so they take on the flavor of the sauce. It will thicken slightly as it simmers and become a bit sticky, caramelizing and coating the meatballs. There will be no liquid left when they are done cooking.
The simmering will take some time– maybe 20 minutes– and can’t be rushed. You will be glad you let this process take place! I fix the rest of the meal while waiting for the sauce to do its thing, as it is a hands-off part of the recipe. An occasional stir is a good idea– don’t let them burn!
The ingredients you need for the sauce are honey, sesame oil, and either soy sauce, tamari, liquid aminos, or coconut aminos. Coconut aminos are the best tasting and most healthful, in my opinion. I am not a fan of soy in the diet, but in a pinch I use liquid aminos. Any of the three will work fine, though.
Should I avoid soy sauce?
Here are some reasons I prefer to avoid soy, including soy sauce, in our diet. Here is more information about coconut aminos.
Coconut aminos are decidedly pricier than soy sauce, but generally available in grocery stores. If you opt for soy, I think the liquid aminos (like Bragg’s) are a bit better for us than most soy sauces. I use Bragg’s liquid aminos sometimes, but prefer coconut aminos for health reasons but also because they taste wonderful!
If you use soy sauce, check the labels carefully; most contain gluten, and many contain other questionable ingredients. Some are better than others, so look for versions that have fewer and more recognizable ingredients. You aren’t using a ton of it, and probably not daily, so if you end up having to go with soy, it may not be worth stressing out over. Just get the best you can!
Are these Asian meatballs GAPS compliant?
This recipe pushes the boundary of GAPS. My biggest concern would be the soy sauce. Soy is totally off limits on the GAPS diet.
Coconut aminos are something of a grey area. I have seen Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride say no to coconut aminos, but I have also seen her say a little coconut aminos on advanced stages of GAPS is fine.
You will need to make your own decision on that. If you go ahead with using the coconut aminos, I would suggest paying close attention to how you react. If you feel great after eating some, that will tell you something. I still wouldn’t go crazy with having them often or in large quantities.
If you use the coconut aminos and don’t react well, that also tells you something. Maybe try again when you are further along in healing. These Asian meatballs still taste good without the sauce, just not nearly as good.
You could experiment with another sauce, like maybe a peanut sauce. Or make the sauce, leave out the coconut aminos, and add a bit of salt and anything else you like for seasoning.
The sesame oil is a bit of a question. I think it is GAPS compliant, but, being toasted, I may be wrong. If you know, please reply in the comments so I can know as well!
Overall, I would say this is more of a GAPS adjacent recipe than an ideal GAPS meatball. That said, we did eat them occasionally on GAPS, made with coconut aminos. You will need to discern what works best for you!
Easy Asian Meatballs
Ingredients
- 3 lbs ground beef (or pork, turkey, or chicken)
- 1 zucchini, peeled and grated
- 1 T minced garlic
- 1 T freshly grated ginger
- 2-3 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 T honey
- 2 T sesame oil
- 2 T coconut aminos (or preferred soy sauce or tamari)
Instructions
- Preheat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Mix meat with zucchini, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper.
- Roll meat into balls and arrange in hot skillet. Cover and cook for several minutes, then turn. If they don't quite cook through during this stage, that is fine. You will probably need to cook the meatballs in batches, removing the cooked ones to a large bowl, until all the meatballs are done.
- Return all the meatballs to the pan. Add the honey, sesame oil, and coconut aminos or soy sauce. Stir to mix. Cover and heat through, then uncover and let them simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has absorbed into the meatballs and the outsides of the meatballs caramelize a bit. Don't let them burn! When the aroma deepens, they are beginning to caramelize. Watch carefully at this point, stirring more frequently.
- Remove from heat. Serve plain or with rice or cauliflower rice, and garnish with sesame seeds and/or green onions.
Make Easy Asian Meatballs Your Way!
- use different ground meat– I have used turkey many times, especially to serve people who aren’t fans of beef, and pork is also good. Definitely include the zucchini if using turkey or chicken– they don’t have enough fat to produce a moist meatball.
- replace the zucchini with summer squash, onion, or mushrooms. I have used all these with excellent results!
- add even more flavor– I like them this way, but you could try adding a finely chopped jalapeño, red pepper flakes, sriracha, chili paste… use your imagination!
- sometimes I like to add the juice of 1/2 lime to the sauce. It is delicious that way, but I usually don’t have any limes.
- if you want to increase the nutrient density of your meatballs, stir in a little minced liver! Keep it less than a tenth of your total meat, and it is likely nobody will notice. That liver flavor will be masked by all the other flavors going on in this recipe and everyone will get a little extra boost.
To easily peel the ginger before you grate it, scrape it with a spoon!
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