Sheet Pan Zucchini Chicken Meatballs with Coconut Curry Sauce
Sheet pan zucchini chicken meatballs baked with gorgeous roasted bell peppers and drizzled with a flavorful coconut curry sauce. This easy, incredibly delicious recipe is packed with protein and great for meal prep! Serve with coconut rice or naan for a full meal.
Servings 4 servings (3 large meatballs + roasted peppers + sauce)
Calories 330cal
Ingredients
- For the peppers:
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
- 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into chunks
- 1 orange bell pepper, cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
- For the meatballs:
- 1 pound 94% lean ground chicken or turkey
- 1 cup shredded zucchini that's been squeezed of excess moisture with towel
- ½ cup panko or regular breadcrumbs* (see notes section for GF option)
- 1 egg
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon red cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the sauce:
- 1/3 cup light coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon pure maple syrup or honey, to sweeten
- 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
- ½ tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon red cayenne pepper
- Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste
- For garnish and serving
- Cilantro and sliced green onion (green part only)
- Rice, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. If you don't have a large baking sheet, you can use two smaller pans.
- Add chopped bell peppers to a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle on garlic powder and a little salt and pepper. Use a spoon to toss the peppers in the oil to coat them. Set aside.
- Make the meatballs: Add ground chicken (or turkey), shredded zucchini (make sure you squeezed all the excess moisture out), breadcrumbs*, egg, minced garlic, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, salt and pepper to a large bowl. Use clean hands to mix until well combined. Do not over mix.
- Grab a golf size ball of meat and roll it into a ball. Place each on baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Evenly distribute chopped bell peppers in the spaces between the meatballs like the pictures show.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until meatballs are fully cooked and a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees. Mine were done at 20 minutes.
- While the meatballs are cooking, make the coconut curry sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, tahini, garlic, maple syrup, curry powder, ginger, turmeric, cayenne and salt and pepper, to taste. Be careful to not over salt the sauce, taste and adjust as you go.
- Drizzle sauce over cooked meatballs and rice. Garnish with green onion and cilantro.. Serves 4, 3 meatballs each + roasted peppers + sauce.
Notes
To make meatballs GF or paleo: I recommend using gluten free breadcrumbs or you can sub 1-2 tablespoons coconut flour (for the 1/4 cup breadcrumbs).
See the full post for tips, tricks, and how to freeze this meal!
Nutrition
Serving: 3meatballs with sauce + roasted peppers | Calories: 330cal | Carbohydrates: 16.8g | Protein: 27.1g | Fat: 19.8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Fiber: 3.5g | Sugar: 6.6g