Keto Asian meatballs with Thai basil sauce

Keto Asian meatballs with Thai basil sauce

All right. Let’s talk floral Thai basil flavor. Let’s talk spicy ginger. Let’s talk tangy pickled onions. Wait. Enough talk! Let’s make and eat these tender and tasty Asian-style meatballs!
March 20 2017 by , photo by , nutritional review by in Recipes, Dinner, Meal

Keto Asian meatballs with Thai basil sauce

All right. Let’s talk floral Thai basil flavor. Let’s talk spicy ginger. Let’s talk tangy pickled onions. Wait. Enough talk! Let’s make and eat these tender and tasty Asian-style meatballs!
USMetric
4 servingservings

Ingredients

Pickled onion salad
  • 1 tbsp 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp 2 tbsp water
  • ½ tsp ½ tsp salt
  • 1 oz. (41⁄3 tbsp) 28 g (65 ml) scallion, thinly slicedscallions, thinly sliced
  • 1 1 red chili pepper, thinly sliced, width-wisered chili peppers, thinly sliced, width-wise
Thai basil sauce
  • ¾ cup 180 ml mayonnaise
  • 2 oz. 55 g radish, finely choppedradishes, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp 1 tbsp fresh Thai basil, finely chopped
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Meatballs
  • 1¼ lbs 550 g ground pork
  • ½ (2 oz.) ½ (55 g) yellow onion, mincedyellow onions, minced
  • 1 tbsp 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 tbsp 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup 60 ml butter or coconut oil, for frying
Sautéed Cabbage
  • 20 oz. 550 g green cabbage, finely shredded, or sliced
  • ½ tsp ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp ¼ tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 oz. 55 g butter or coconut oil, for sautéing
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Instructions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°F (100°C).

    2. Pickled onion salad

  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, water, and salt. Add the scallions and chili pepper. Mix together, and set aside.

    3. Thai basil sauce

  3. Mix the mayonnaise, Thai basil, and radishes together in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

    4. Meatballs

  4. In a large bowl, gently mix together the meatball ingredients. Moisten hands with water, and shape into 1" (2.5 cm) balls, making about 8 meatballs per serving.
  5. Melt the butter or coconut oil in a large frying pan, over medium heat. Fry the meatballs for about 7 - 10 minutes, or until cooked through, and golden brown. Place in an oven-proof dish, cover with foil and move to the oven to keep warm.

    6. Sautéed Cabbage

  6. Using the same pan, melt the butter or coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the shredded cabbage, salt, and pepper. Sautée until lightly browned, and tender.
  7. Place the cabbage on each plate, top with meatballs, and serve with the Thai basil sauce and pickled onions, on the side.

Tip!

Switch it up: The Asian flavors in these versatile meatballs taste just as good with ground poultry, whether chicken or turkey - both work beautifully. Make extra! You can freeze the meatballs for up to 3 months, so leftovers won’t go to waste.

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What did you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

27 comments

  1. 1
    Tester
    May 3 2017
    These completely disintegrated while cooking. Turned into a hash. It was tasty, but not meatballs.
  2. 2
    John
    August 29 2017
    hard pass.
  3. 3
    Mike
    September 24 2017
    Took waayyy longer than the 40 minutes allotted, but was very tasty. We don't have access to Thai basil, so I used regular basil and it turned out fine.
  4. 4
    jen
    November 27 2017
    they did fall apart a bit, so had to reroll and firm them up. Kids thought they were dry, but we just added extra duck sauce...which added sugar to the dish but made it edible
  5. 5
    Lisa
    December 7 2017
    No problem with them falling apart but mixed with turkey sausage. A bit long for prep, so I suggest just throwing in the scallions on top of the cabbage and meet. One less side to worry about. They tasted good and were very filling. We used Napa Cabbage, which was good, but cooked differently.
  6. 6
    Pat
    December 11 2017
    Do you mix the coconut oil into the meatball mixture or just fry them in the coconut oil?
  7. 7
    Amy
    December 13 2017
    I used Tamari instead of fish sauce in the meatballs. They were easy to make and delicious. We made a different dipping sauce and didn't make the pickled onions. We also made this salmon because I had a piece of salmon that needed to be cooked. https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/keto-coconut-salmon-napa-cabbage We had sautéed cabbage on the side and it was a delicious meal.
  8. 8
    Rebecca
    March 28 2018
    Why is the cabbage listed in the meatball ingredients? It's kind of confusing the way it's written.
  9. 9
    Kathy
    June 19 2018
    I added a 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese to the mixture as a binder. I also put mine in a 12 cup cake, cup cake pan and baked them at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. We loved them.
  10. 10
    Bunnie
    July 6 2018
    I loved loved loved this dish! I didn’t know cabbage could taste do good. Alone the meatballs were ok, maybe some garlic? That being said, when you put it all together it comes together beautifully! Will make again!
  11. 11
    Kelsey
    August 6 2018
    recipe was a little confusing to follow because of the ingredient list not being organized very well. Still... came out delicious. Would make again! Love the radish basil sauce !
  12. 12
    Robin
    August 13 2018
    wasn't a fan
  13. 13
    Janelle
    August 18 2018
    I do not recommend this at all.
  14. 14
    RALPH
    September 3 2018
    -use egg for binder and little bit of coconut flour
    -did not follow scallion salad. add scallion and vinegar to cabbage instead
    -added thai basil to pork
    -added lime, sriracha and white vinegar to mayo mixture
    -put in muffin pan and bake for 400F 20-25mins convection
    -hella good. enjoy
  15. 15
    Liz
    October 2 2018
    Really enjoyed this. Made double the scallion and chilli mix. Meatballs were tender and stayed together perfectly. Good combination of flaours. This one is a keeper.
  16. 16
    Seb
    January 7 2019
    Overall way too rich/fatty for my personal taste. Fried pork, mayo, overkill. Maybe poultry will be a better option.
  17. 17
    Andrew
    May 11 2019
    If the meatballs and cabbage are fried why do we need the oven at 200 degrees ? To keep things warm I would suggest 70-80 degrees would be enough or Have I got something wrong ?
    Reply: #18
  18. 18
    Reply to comment #17 by Andrew
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    May 13 2019

    If the meatballs and cabbage are fried why do we need the oven at 200 degrees ? To keep things warm I would suggest 70-80 degrees would be enough or Have I got something wrong ?

    The 200 is F. 100 C.

  19. 19
    Jenn
    August 23 2019
    I have made a recipe inspired by this one many times. I use 3 lbs ground pork, 1 small yellow onion minced, 4 garlic cloves minced, 2 tablespoons of grated ginger and fish sauce, 2 eggs, and just enough grated Parmesan to hold it together, usually 1.25-1.5 cups. Use the super cheap parmesan, it's really just a binder. It makes about 30 meatballs. These freeze really well for meal prep. Skip the other parts of the recipe. I serve the meatballs with a sliced cabbage/romaine lettuce salad. I throw in whatever's left over from other meals like red/green/yellow peppers, onions, tomatoes, and carrots. Top with cashews or sesame seeds and some Thai basil if you can find it. Yummmm!
  20. 20
    Patricia Giguere
    November 24 2019
    I made it using half beef and half pork mince. also I did omit the coconut oil and butter in the meatball mixture. I believe it's meant to be for the cooking of them not part of the meatball recipe. didn't fall apart, nice meal :)
  21. 21
    Xanzi Barber
    December 5 2019
    Loved this dish! Did not have a problem with the meatballs falling apart, however I cooked them in the oven just like in the keto swedish meatball recipe.
    Reply: #25
  22. 22
    Mayra Jones
    January 12 2020
    Made this tonight, it was sooo tasty! I did not have any issues with the meatballs falling apart. Will definitely be making this again!
  23. 23
    Laurel
    October 6 2020
    The work to taste ratio is off on this one. Too much work for too little taste.
  24. 24
    Felicia
    January 15 2021
    Looks like the recipe needs 1 - 2 eggs to hold the meatball together a little better while cooking.
  25. 25
    Reply to comment #21 by Xanzi Barber
    vickim
    February 12 2021
    Thanks for the tip. Frying the meatballs was messy. I'm putting them in silicon muffin cups and baking in a muffin pan today. The sauce was a bit too much mayo, so I'm going to spice it up a bit. Mixing the pickled scallions and peppers in the cabbage at the end of sautéing should work better too. Loved the taste though. I mixed ground pork and chicken and will do it again.
  26. 26
    Amber
    November 12 2021
    I don’t go out of my way to leave reviews often but this was SO tasty! Yes, the meatballs were delicate and could easily fall apart if you’re not gentle but that’s usually how it is with keto and no bread binding. So be careful with them but give it a shot if you want a tasty meal!
    Reply: #27
  27. 27
    Reply to comment #26 by Amber
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    November 12 2021

    I don’t go out of my way to leave reviews often but this was SO tasty! Yes, the meatballs were delicate and could easily fall apart if you’re not gentle but that’s usually how it is with keto and no bread binding. So be careful with them but give it a shot if you want a tasty meal!

    Thank you for taking the time to let us know how much you enjoyed this!

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