skillet red curry with ginger turkey meatballs

skillet red curry with ginger turkey meatballs. the creamiest red curry with onions, bell peppers, & flavorful turkey meatballs made with tons of ginger, garlic & cilantro – & the best part is it’s all made in one pan! an easy & comforting cast iron skillet red curry recipe! this post is sponsored by GRIZZLY, whose american-made cast iron skillets i’m obsessed with! all thoughts & opinions are my own. thank you, as always, for visiting plays well with butter & supporting the brands that support this site! ?

pin this skillet red curry with ginger turkey meatballs recipe for later!!!

holy bananas guys! thank you so much for showing up over the past week for treat week!!! i hope you have just as much fun with those easy holiday treat recipes as i did creating them for you!

as much as i love holiday sweets, i’m not gonna lie…i’m really super excited to dive right back into cooking.

an easy red curry recipe! skillet red curry with ginger turkey meatballs

pin this skillet red curry with ginger turkey meatballs recipe for later!!!

skillet red curry with ginger turkey meatballs is easily one of my new favorite weeknight meals.

reasons why i’m absolutely, completely obsessed with it:

• hello gorgeous, right? (icymi, see above, ha!)
• little bombs of flavor in meatball form: the easiest turkey meatballs loaded with ginger, garlic, & cilantro.
• the creamiest & coziest red curry sauce.
• easy clean up, thanks to the fact that it’s all made in ONE skillet = weeknight cooking dreams.

that combination is pretty hard to top, right?!

pin this skillet red curry with ginger turkey meatballs recipe for later!!!

red curry was one of the very first things i taught myself how to cook. thai curry was one of my absolute favorite take-out meals in college, but ordering take-out every time i had a curry craving coming on wasn’t exactly realistic with my shoestring college budget.

i’m still just as obsessed with curry as i was back then, especially in the dead of winter when i want something comforting, but healthy-ish. & this skillet red curry totally fits the bill: it’s easy, totally comforting, but also tastes super light & fresh.

one of the things that takes this skillet red curry completely over the top are the gingery turkey meatballs i serve it with.

serving curry with meatballs isn’t exactly traditional, but it makes so much sense! they aren’t difficult to whip up, & you’re able to pack so much more flavor into a meatball than you can with your average shrimp or sliced chicken. 

these turkey meatballs are made with some of the usual turkey meatball ingredients (panko breadcrumbs, garlic), but i amp them up a few notches with some fresh ginger & tons of cilantro. they’re literally little flavor bombs. i love it.

pin this skillet red curry with ginger turkey meatballs recipe for later!!!

the other really key ingredients for creating red curry magic at home are the curry paste you use & the coconut milk you use.

not all curry pastes & coconut milks are created equally, guys!!! in my experience, the curry pastes & coconut milks that are most widely available in conventional grocery stores just aren’t great. good curry paste should be loaded with complex layers of flavor, & good coconut milk should be creamy, smooth & thick.

womp, womp, i know, i know. the good news is, if you live near an asian food store, you’ll have so many delicious options at your disposal. or! you can just order online. this is the curry paste I love – you can order it in 4-packs right from amazon. for coconut milk, i find that the 365 brand original coconut milk from whole foods is my favorite. it is creamy & has great flavor!

the last thing to love about skillet red curry, as if the mega flavorful meatballs & the mega flavorful curry isn’t enough, is the fact that it’s made in just one skillet. meaning…there’s just ONE dish to clean up after your skillet curry feast! ??

if you’ve been hanging out with me for a while, you know that i absolutely adore GRIZZLY. they make the most beautiful 100% american-made cast iron skillets. aside from being the most gorgeous skillets i’ve ever seen, they’re super easy to care for (ahem, NO seasoning required & you can wash them with soapy water!).

&! super exciting – GRIZZLY just released a 10-inch skillet, which i think is the totally perfect size for everyday use & weeknight cooking.

pin this skillet red curry with ginger turkey meatballs recipe for later!!!

the beauty of making a dish like red curry in one skillet is all of the flavor from the dish builds upon itself as it cooks: you sear off the meatballs, cook down some veggies, & simmer red curry sauce all in the same skillet so you don’t lose any flavor at any point in the process.

speaking of losing flavor, i like to serve this skillet red curry with ginger turkey meatballs on brown rice, which soaks up all of the flavor of the curry. you could really use any grain you love though. white rice or quinoa are both great, & cauliflower rice is a great option too! you honestly can’t go wrong.

pin this skillet red curry with ginger turkey meatballs recipe for later!!!

weeknight dinners seriously don’t get better than this.

if you love this skillet red curry recipe, here are a few other cozy recipes you’ll love too!

• another easy skillet recipe! skillet chicken pot pie with biscuits
• & another! chicken parmesan skillet meatballs
• healthy & colorful: grilled veggie burrito bowls with green rice
• SO much flavor: grilled chicken shawarma hummus bowls
• easy tacos! instant pot chipotle honey chicken tacos
• all pwwb main dishes recipes

be sure to follow along with me on instagram, facebook, & pinterest for more easy, modern recipes & fun!

thank you so much for reading & supporting plays well with butter & the companies i partner with to keep bringing you great original content. i only feature brands & products i truly love & use on the reg in my own home. all opinions are always my own!  ???

skillet red curry with ginger turkey meatballs

★★★★★ 4.8 from 6 reviews

• Author: jess larson | plays well with butter
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: serves 4 1x
• Category: main dish
• Method: skillet
• Cuisine: thai

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Description

the creamiest red curry with onions, bell peppers, & flavorful turkey meatballs made with tons of ginger, garlic & cilantro – & the best part is it’s all made in one pan! an easy & comforting skillet red curry recipe!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 pound ground turkey
• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2–3 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
• 1 red onion, sliced ½-inch thick
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced ½-inch thick
• 1 orange or yellow bell pepper, sliced ½-inch thick
• 3 tablespoons red curry paste (see Recipe Notes)
• 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk or cream (see Recipe Notes)
• 1 lime, juiced
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
• for serving, as desired: 2 cups cooked brown rice, chopped cilantro

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Instructions

1. Form the meatballs: Add the turkey, panko breadcrumbs, cilantro, ginger, green onions and garlic to a medium bowl. Season with ½ teaspoon each Kosher salt and ground black pepper. Using your hands, mix until just combined – be careful not to overmix! Roll the mixture into 12 meatballs, about 2-inches in diameter. Set aside.
2. Brown the meatballs: Add 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil to a 10-inch GRIZZLY cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add in the meatballs to the skillet. Brown the meatballs in 2 batches, as needed, to ensure you don’t overcrowd the skillet, which prevents browning. Cook the meatballs for about 2 minutes per side, until deeply browned. Transfer to a plate and repeat with any remaining meatballs.
3. Cook the aromatics: Once the meatballs have browned, cook the onions & peppers. If needed, add in an extra splash of coconut oil to the skillet. Add the onion & bell peppers, seasoning with ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt. Stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the peppers & onions begin to soften slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the curry paste to the skillet, stirring to combine. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, until the curry paste is deeply browned & fragrant.
4. Simmer the curry: Add the coconut milk to the skillet, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits that have formed at the bottom of the skillet – that’s where the flavor is! Stir to combine. Add the meatballs back into the skillet. Bring the curry to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, turning the meatballs a few times to coat in the sauce, until the curry sauce is thickened and the meatballs are cooked through. Finish with a fresh squeeze of lime juice, and stir to combine.
5. Serve the curry and meatballs over brown rice, sprinkled with extra chopped cilantro as desired. Enjoy!

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Notes

• Curry paste & coconut milk: Not all curry pastes & coconut milks are created equally!!! Generally speaking, the curry paste sold at most conventional grocers is not great – it’s missing tons of flavor you’d find in a good curry paste. I suggest seeking out both curry paste & coconut milk/cream from your local Asian grocer, or buying it online. This is the curry paste I love – you can order it in 4-packs right from Amazon! The 365 brand coconut milk from Whole Foods is my favorite!

Keywords: skillet red cury, easy red curry recipe, ginger turkey meatballs

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