If you’ve been following along for a while, you may have noticed the quietly forming army of “Firecrackers” I’ve been building here. We’ve got my all-time most popular recipe, Firecracker Chicken. Then, there’s Firecracker Shrimp (10 minutes for this one, guys). Then! Firecracker Fried Chicken Noodle Soup – so good. But today’s Turkey Firecracker Meatballs recipe really holds its own amongst the other firecrackers, because the flavors just scream at you, in the best way. It’s wonderfully delicious.
What is “Firecracker Sauce?”
This Pinterest and social media darling of a sauce got its name because the sauce “explodes with flavor” in your mouth. So, Firecracker sauce is this ridiculously tasty concoction of salty soy sauce, a sweet element (usually brown sugar or honey), a spicy Asian-style hot sauce, like Sriracha, and in my case – garlic.
We’ll use garlic powder because it blends so seamlessly into the creamy sauce. Also, garlic powder is a bit less assertive than its fresh cousin. I don’t want bits of raw garlic in this sauce, so powder is definitely the way to go.
Lighter Firecracker Meatballs
This recipe gets its “light” classification thanks to the simple swapping in of lean ground turkey for the oft used beef or pork. Fear not! They will bake up beautifully juicy and flavorful for you. In meatball recipes where you toss the balls in a creamy sauce, turkey works especially well, because that sauce seals in moisture and envelopes the meatballs in amazing flavor and moisture.
Also, I’m using honey here instead of my usual brown sugar, and instead of sour cream in the creamy sauce, we’ll use lighter and more nutritious Greek yogurt. That said, you can swap in sour cream for the yogurt, brown sugar or maple syrup for the honey, and Frank’s hot sauce for the Sriracha – just increase the amount because it isn’t as spicy.
What You’ll Need to Make These Turkey Firecracker Meatballs
This firecracker meatballs recipe is mostly built on pantry staples. We’re talking soy sauce, garlic powder, mayo, Sriracha, and rice. So, it should qualify as really easy to accommodate on a weeknight, I hope. It definitely takes less than 35 minutes to make as well.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground turkey
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
1 bunch green onions, chopped, whites and green parts separated
3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari, divided
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced or grated
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon Sriracha or chili garlic sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons olive oil
1.5 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 cup Jasmine rice
OPTIONAL SERVING SUGGESTIONS: chopped cilantro, roasted green veggies such as green beans, asparagus, broccoli, or zucchini.
How to Make these Lighter Firecracker Meatballs
We’ll create some pretty great turkey meatballs (the soy sauce, scallions, ginger, and garlic do WORK here), roast them in the oven, and then toss them in the greatest sauce ever. It’s sweet, spicy, salty, garlicky – totally addictive. I make a sesame rice to support these spicy balls, and it features both sesame oil and sesame seeds. It’s truly delicious and a rice I make all the time.
Typically when it comes to rice, I’m either making coconut rice or this sesame rice, because they’re the bee’s knees, y’all.
DIRECTIONS
Adjust the oven rack to the top position and preheat to 425 degrees F. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper (this helps so much with cleanup – totally worth doing).
In a large bowl, gently mix together the ground turkey, panko, the scallion whites, 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, ginger, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and a big pinch of freshly cracked pepper. Don’t overwork! That will create dense meatballs. Roll into 1-inch meatballs and arrange on the baking sheet. Bake until just done, about 15 minutes.
In a second large bowl, stir together the mayo, Greek yogurt, honey, 1 teaspoon of the garlic powder, the Sriracha, and 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce. Set aside for now.
Add the sesame oil and olive oil to a medium lidded pot over medium heat. Add the sesame seeds and rice and let it all toast for about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of water (of whatever the package tells you to add), bring to a boil, reduce to low heat and simmer gently with the lid on until the rice is done per your package directions. Fluff with a fork.
When the meatballs are cooked, carefully toss them in the bowl with the sauce to coat. Serve them over the rice with lots of extra sauce drizzled over, the scallion greens, and any green veggie you like.
If you like the looks of this Firecracker Meatballs recipe, you might also want to check out:
Saucy Creole Meatballs and Grits
Bulgogi Beef Meatballs with Roasted Carrots
Honey Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Slaw
Sweet and Spicy Pacific Rim Meatballs
Easiest Hands-Off Spaghetti and Meatballs
Firecracker Meatballs with Sesame Rice (lighter version)
A lightened up version of a popular meatball recipe, my Lighter Turkey Firecracker Meatballs employ a few simple tricks to bring levity to the whole meatball situation, while not sacrificing a bit of flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped, whites and green parts separated
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced or grated
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- 1 to 2 teaspoons hot sauce: Sriracha, chili garlic sauce, or Frank’s Red Hot (see note 1)
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1.5 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 cup Jasmine rice
OPTIONAL SERVING SUGGESTIONS: chopped cilantro, roasted green veggies such as green beans, asparagus, broccoli, or zucchini.
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the top position and preheat to 425 degrees F. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper (this helps so much with cleanup – totally worth doing).
- In a large bowl, gently mix together the ground turkey, Panko, 2 teaspoons of the olive oil, the scallion whites, 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, ginger, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and a big pinch of freshly cracked pepper. Don’t overwork! That will create dense meatballs. Roll into 1-inch meatballs and arrange on the baking sheet. Bake until just done, about 15 minutes.
- In a second large bowl, stir together the mayo, Greek yogurt, honey, 1 teaspoons of the garlic powder, 1 to 2 teaspoons of the hot sauce of your choosing (to taste), and 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce. Set aside for now.
- Add the sesame oil and remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil to a medium sized lidded pot over medium heat (whatever you usually cook rice in). Add the sesame seeds and rice and let it all toast for about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of water (of whatever the package tells you to add), bring to a boil, reduce to low heat and simmer gently with the lid on until the rice is done per your package directions. Fluff with a fork.
- When the meatballs are cooked, carefully toss them in the bowl with the sauce to coat. Serve them over the rice with lots of extra sauce drizzled over, the scallion greens, and any green veggie you like.
Notes
Note 1: If you opt to use Frank’s hot sauce, just add more than the indicated amount, as it isn’t as spicy as Sriracha. I’d use 1 tablespoon.
Note 2: To make this recipe gluten-free, purchase gluten free Panko and use Tamari instead of soy sauce, as it is processed without wheat.
