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!
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
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?! 
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. 
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! ??
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. 
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
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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! ???
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skillet red curry with ginger turkey meatballs
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: main dish
- Method: skillet
- Cuisine: thai
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!
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
- Brown the meatballs: Add 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil to a 10-inch 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Serve the curry and meatballs over brown rice, sprinkled with extra chopped cilantro as desired. Enjoy!
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
This curry recipe was delish! First time I’ve ever tried making a curry of any kind and I am a fan. This was so accessible and so delicious… only thing I’d change next time I’m going to add more spice!
★★★★
Hey Bridget! We’re so glad you LOVED it! It is the perfect 1st time curry recipe. You should definitely check out our Butternut Squash Red Curry & our Easy Thai Green Curry too!
My family LOVES this recipe. I make a lot of curry dishes but this is always the most requested. I use ground chicken instead of ground turkey but this is the only thing I change in this recipe. It’s absolutely delicious!!
★★★★★
Hi Chris! We’re so excited to hear that the whole family loved it!
I really love this great recipe of Turkey Meatballs. No doubt, Turkey foods have separate and delicious taste. Thank you for sharing this wonderful article.
★★★★★
Hi Erica! Thank you so much for this review. We wholeheartedly believe turkey doesn’t have to be bland & boring & this recipe proves it – so glad you enjoyed!!
These are so flavorful and so easy to make!! They also make great leftovers!
★★★★★
This turned out amazing! Husband loved it too! Super easy recipe to follow but tastes complex and will definitely impress anyone you make it for!
★★★★★
Hi Lindsay! So glad to hear that you and your husband both loved this curry skillet, it’s perfect for a quick & easy weeknight dinner!
I loved the flavors in this recipe, particularly in the turkey meatballs. My daughter who doesn’t typically love meat gobbled them up and asked for more!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you & your family enjoyed this one, Brittany! It’s a fave in our house too!
So good! We really enjoyed this take on meatballs. I bought the sauce linked and was glad I did- it came in a pack of 8 so now I have to make these 7 more times!! 🙂
★★★★★
Haha, yes that’s the best part! It’s a pantry staple at my house. =) So glad you enjoyed, Megan! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Hello Jess! These meatballs look great! This will do really well with rice. Thanks for sharing.
hope you give them a try! xo
Will do. Thanks Jess! :0)
I really hate cilantro. Think I could replace with parsley or something else? Also, would beef work? The recipe sounds so delicious, just nervous we’d be missing something without cilantro. Thanks!
Hey Megan! If you don’t like cilantro (you’re not the only one – it’s a genetic thing!), definitely just omit from the recipe. You won’t miss it. In terms of swapping the turkey for another animal protein, ground pork would be my first choice. Beef should work just fine – though I’ve not tested this recipe with beef. You may want to use a leaner beef (closer to 90/10 or even 93% lean) to prevent the curry from getting greasy.