Thai Peanut Sauce Meatballs
Meatballs and Thai food are both very beloved foods, so why not combine the two! Peanut Sauce Thai Meatballs are a great template to build flavors and these meatballs are stuffed full and garnished with classic Thai flavors. The combination of a salty meatball that carries a little heat coated in a rich, creamy peanut sauce that is cut by the citrus of the lime is simply delicious. This dish will make you think it should be considered a “cheat day” meal but it is packed with protein and fresh herbs served with a side of vegetables, making it extremely balanced and nutritious. The meatballs use half ground beef and half ground turkey, giving you the beefy, fatty flavor everyone wants in a meatball with still benefiting from eating leaner meat. This recipe is such a fun and simple way to satisfy your Thai cravings while staying on track with your nutrition goals!
Pro Tip: Bake off the amount of meatballs you want and then freeze the rest for later!
*An alternative to meatballs is making this dish with marinated cubed chicken or tofu. Place all ingredients for meatballs besides meats into a large zip lock bag and marinate chicken or tofu for 1 hour. Pour everything in the bag onto a sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes (until chicken has an internal temperature of 165 or tofu is crispy). Once cooked, coat in peanut sauce as described above and serve*
Thai Peanut Sauce Meatball Nutrition Information:
Fish Sauce Definition : A Thai and Vietnamese sauce used as a flavoring or condiment, prepared from fermented anchovies and salt. Sounds gross but it is SO yummy and contains amino acids, fatty acids and B vitamins!
Soy Sauce Substitutes : The intense salty flavor of soy sauce is addicting to most but is a condiment that needs a caution sign on it. The human body needs salt to thrive but within the average American diet, we consume more salt daily then the body needs so adding a salt packed sauce to dishes is not something we want to do. Thankfully, there is low sodium soy sauce and coconut aminos that pack the salty punch the body wants with lower amounts of sodium!
Coconut Aminos: A liquid condiment, fermented from sap of a coconut palm tree and sea salt. Compared to soy sauce, coconut aminos have roughly 90 milligrams of sodium in a teaspoon compared to soy sauces 290 milligram.
Peanut Butter: Most nut butters are a great source of antioxidants. Vitamin E, magnesium, and heart healthy fats make it a great ingredient for sauces and dips. Friendly reminder, even healthy fats are high in calories so remember that there is nothing you ever need to cut out of your diet but it is important to eat in moderation.
Green Beans : Anyone who says they don’t like green food probably haven’t eaten green beans because they are crunchy and delicious! These beans are full of nutrients like vitamin C & K, folate, fiber and even silicon which plays an important role in having healthy bones, skin and hair!
How to Use Leftover Peanut Sauce:
Chicken Satay
Salad Dressing
Veggie or Apple Slices
Spring Rolls
Broccoli or Cabbage Slaw
Roasted Veggies
Tips for Freezing and Thawing Extra Peanut Sauce Thai Meatballs:
- Wait until meatballs are at room temperature, place on a cutting board that fits in the freezer for 1-2 hours.
- Once meatballs are frozen, divide them among freezer bags, seal tightly and label and place in the freezer.
- To thaw meatballs, put a bag of meatballs in the refrigerator to defrost (can be hours or overnight).
- Prepare peanut sauce and enjoy all over again!
