Quick Look at these Easy Red Curry Meatballs
- Ready In: 35 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Main Ingredients: ground beef, coconut milk, red curry paste, fresh basil, limes, and served on cooked rice of your choice!
- Dietary Info: Whole30, Paleo, Dairy-Free, and Gluten-Free
- Flavor Profile: Thai-inspired curry flavors that have heat but aren’t spicy (the BEST flavors, like in my coconut curry ramen bowls).
- Best For: easy weeknight dinner, meal prep for the week
Share and summarize this recipe:
Why You’ll Be Obsessed With These Curry Meatballs
- A creamy smooth curry sauce packed with incredible flavor!
- Dinner on the table in about half an hour.
- Versatile – enjoy on any type of rice (cauliflower rice for Whole/Paleo).
- Feels elevated but is actually super simple!
- Divide into meal prep containers to have lunch for the whole week.
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for a full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- Ground Beef – feel free to substitute ground turkey, if desired.
- Red Curry Paste – highly recommend Thai Kitchen red curry paste, it has a wonderful warm heat without being overly spicy.
- Coconut Milk – brings the creamy texture without any dairy!
- Rice – any type of rice would work with these curry meatballs, but if you need it to be Whole30/Paleo compliant use easy cauliflower rice or add more flavor with coconut cauliflower rice.
How To Make Red Curry Meatballs
Step 1 – Scoop tablespoon-sized meatballs and roll to smooth.
Step 2 – Cook meatballs in a hot skillet with salt and pepper.
Step 3 – Add all of the sauce ingredients to the skillet and simmer to thicken.
Step 4 – Return the meatballs to the skillet and toss to coat.
Step 5 – Taste and adjust any flavors as desired. Enjoy!
Best Ways To Serve Red Curry Meatballs
These saucy meatballs are best enjoyed over the rice of your choice. Add some slices of avocado for a little cool to counteract the heat and a lime wedge for a fresh squeeze of lime juice. If you are looking for a side dish, I would recommend easy roasted broccolini or steamed asparagus stalks.
Erin’s Testing Tips: What We Learned
- Simmer the sauce to your desired thickness. Longer for a thicker sauce or less time to keep it thinner.
- Fully incorporate coconut milk – it separates in the can and needs to be fully combined and smooth before using.
- Meal Prep Tips: make meatballs the night before cooking for a faster dinner or use store-bought frozen meatballs.
Other Curry Recipes For Dinner You Might Like
Made this recipe and loved it?!
We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
Follow Us on Social
Our quick and easy Red Curry Meatballs are full of the BEST flavors that are best enjoyed over rice for a simple weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
- 1 – 1½ pounds ground beef
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil, sub olive oil
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 15 ounces coconut milk, use immersion blender to fully incorporate
- 4 ounces red curry paste
- 1½ tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2-3 cups cooked rice, sub cauliflower rice for Whole30/Paleo
- 2 avocados, sliced
Instructions
- Meatballs: Use a cookie scoop to scoop 1 – 1½ pounds ground beef and roll between your hands to create uniform meatballs. Bring a large cast iron skillet to a medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon avocado oil to coat the bottom of the pan, and add the meatballs. Generously season with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Move them around the pan to sear on all sides and then drop the heat to medium low, cover, and continue cooking until fully cooked. Remove cooked meatballs and set aside on a plate.
- Curry Sauce: Bring the skillet back to a medium heat. Place 15 ounces coconut milk, 4 ounces red curry paste, 1½ tablespoons fresh basil leaves, 1 tablespoon lime zest, 1 tablespoon garlic, 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice, ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper in the hot pan and stir to combine. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes, uncovered, and let it reduce. Taste and add any additional salt or pepper, as needed.
- Combine: Add the meatballs back to the pan and stir to fully coat in the curry sauce.
- Serve: Spoon curried meatballs over cooked rice and enjoy with ½ an avocado!
Notes
- Rice: serve over any type of rice you prefer – white rice, brown rice, or homemade cauliflower rice (store-bought works too) to make this dish Whole30/Paleo compliant.
- Coconut Milk: typically this separates in the can. Give it a good shake before opening or use an immersion blender to fully incorporate the solid and liquid parts before adding to the skillet.
- Storage: keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Calories 653kcal
Nutrition
Calories: 653kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 500mg | Potassium: 1120mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4654IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 6mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @thewoodenskillet on Instagram!
Bridget says
Delish! Love the flavor and so easy!
Linda says
Making this right now for Super Bowl
Gretchen O'Neill says
Great recipe! My husband and I want to try doing Whole30, and we approve of this meal! I would say that mayb season the meat BEFORE just putting it in the pan. The meatballs lacked flavor, and if it wasn’t for the Thai sauce, it would be a poor meal. But it was delicious and my kids loved it too!
Laura says
Did you remove the meatballs from the skillet before making the sauce or leave them?
Erin says
Hi, Laura! You could really do it either way – I just leave them in though and mix around them 🙂