Clean Thai Turkey Zucchini Meatballs

I've made Asian turkey meatballs before but stumbled across this recipe recently that was a little bit more interesting than the ones I've made in the past. The addition of zucchini and a thicker sauce intrigued me. These only take about 30 minutes to make and make about 28 so you can eat them for a few days!

You will need:

           For the meatballs: 

• 2 lbs ground turkey, extra lean
• 1 cup zucchini, shredded & liquid squeezed out
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp basil, finely chopped
• 2 tsp ginger, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 tsp red curry paste
• 2 tbsp coconut milk, light (canned)
• 1/8 tsp hot pepper chill flakes
• Cooking spray 
For the Sauce:
• 1 + 1/2 cup coconut milk, light (canned)
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp red curry paste
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1/8 tsp hot pepper chili flakes, or to taste
• 5-6 kaffir lime leaves (optional)

To start, shred your zucchini into a medium-sized bowl. One regular sized zucchini will make a cup and some change. Once shredded pat dry with a paper towel to get out all of the excess water. 

Mix all of the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl. Really get in there to make sure everything gets spread evenly. Then form the mixture into balls, about a tablespoon each. 

Heat a large skillet over high heat and spray with cooking spray. While the pan is heating, whisk all of the ingredients for the sauce into a bowl and set aside. 

Once your pan is hot, cook the meatballs on each side for about 2-3 minutes, then turn down the heat and add in the sauce, simmering for about 15 minutes. Make sure the heat stays low while the sauce is simmering. The first batch I made the sauce didn't thicken enough but the second was perfect.

After the meatballs are cooked through plate with the sauce and top with the extra chopped green onions.