Chili Garlic Sesame Glazed Pork Meatballs with Napa Cabbage Sauté

These incredibly flavorful chili garlic sesame glazed pork meatballs are served over a napa cabbage and carrot sauté and they’re an easy, low carb meal that comes together in about 30 minutes!

Who loves pork as much as I do? It’s so freaking flavorful and it can be made in so many different ways. Pulled pork and meatballs being two of my favorites! This meal is incredibly flavorful, simple to make, and low carb too if you’re into that!

It all starts with these crazy flavorful meatballs! The glaze is SO good omg. I seasoned the ground pork super simply with scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. I love getting little bites of scallion in the meatballs!

The glaze though. Oh my goodness. It’s made up of freshly grated ginger, garlic, chili garlic sauce (you can find that in the international aisle with all of the Asian condiments, or here), soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, cornstarch, and a touch of coconut sugar for sweetness. If you don’t keep coconut sugar on hand, brown sugar works just as wonderfully!

I don’t think there could be a more flavorful combination of ingredients. Seriously.

Combined with the pork, it’s seriously magic.

To cut some of the richness of the pork and the glaze, I decided to serve the meatballs over a napa cabbage and carrot sauté! It comes together in minutes and it’s the perfect accompaniment to the balls. It’s super light and refreshing!

Because I can never have too many toppings/garnishes, I decided to add some scallions, cilantro, and white and black sesame seeds! They give it a little bit of extra crunch and brightness. I always need to have a little green!

This recipe works great for meal prep too! I had it for leftovers a few days after and it was still fabulous!

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Chili Garlic Sesame Glazed Pork Meatballs with Napa Cabbage Sauté

These incredibly flavorful chili garlic sesame glazed pork meatballs are served over a napa cabbage and carrot sauté and they're an easy, low carb meal that comes together in about 30 minutes! 

Course Main, Pork

Cuisine Gluten Free, Low Carb

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 467 kcal

Author Molly | Spices in My DNA

Ingredients

For the glaze

• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar

For the meatballs

• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the napa cabbage carrot sauté

• 1 head napa cabbage, thinly sliced
• 3 carrots, peeled into ribbons*
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced, plus extra for garnish
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, plus extra for garnish
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. Make the glaze. To a medium bowl, add the grated ginger, garlic, chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, water, cornstarch, and coconut sugar and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

2. To a medium mixing bowl, add the ground pork, scallions, soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, sesame oil, and a few cracks of black pepper. Mix with your hands until combined. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Sear the meatballs for 5-6 minutes per side or until cooked through. Once cooked through, pour in the glaze and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the glaze thickens up and has a shiny sheen to it.

3. When the meatballs are almost done, heat another large skillet over medium-high heat and add the sesame oil. Once hot, add the cabbage and carrots and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until just barely wilted. During the last minute, stir in the rice wine vinegar, sesame seeds, and scallions. 

4. Serve the meatballs over a bed of the cabbage carrot sauté and garnish with scallions, sesame seeds, and chopped cilantro. Serve immediately!

Recipe Notes

* To make carrot ribbons, you can use your vegetable peeler to create ribbons, or you can just thinly slice them! Already shredded carrots work here too!

Nutrition Facts

Chili Garlic Sesame Glazed Pork Meatballs with Napa Cabbage Sauté

Amount Per Serving (1 of 4 servings)

Calories 467 Calories from Fat 324

% Daily Value*

Fat 36g55%

Sodium 689mg30%

Carbohydrates 17g6%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 22g44%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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