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One-Pan Plant-Based Meatballs with Coconut Rice

By Sara Mayer

Published on January 31, 2022

Time

1¼ hours

Yield

Serves 4

One-Pan Plant-Based Meatballs with Coconut Rice

Ingredients

½ cup panko bread crumbs 2 tablespoons Asian chili-garlic sauce, plus extra for serving2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 12 ounces plant-based ground meat 6 scallions, sliced thin, divided½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced ¼ inch thick1 cup long-grain white rice, rinsed1½ cups water ⅔ cup canned coconut milk ½ teaspoon table salt ½ cup frozen peas, thawed¼ cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped coarseLime wedge

Before You Begin

Any long-grain white rice can be substituted for the jasmine rice. You will need a 12-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid.

Instructions

  1.  Stir panko, chili-garlic sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and ginger in large bowl until evenly combined. Break ground meat into small pieces and add to bowl with panko mixture along with two-thirds of scallions and ¼ cup cilantro. Gently knead with your hands until mixture is well combined. Using your moistened hands, pinch off and roll meat mixture into 1½-inch meatballs. (You should have 12 meatballs.) Transfer meatballs to plate and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 24 hours.
  2.  Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add meatballs and cook until well browned all over, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer meatballs to clean plate. Add bell peppers to fat left in skillet and cook until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until edges of rice begin to turn translucent, about 1 minute. Stir in water, coconut milk, salt, and remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce and bring to boil. Nestle meatballs into rice, cover skillet, reduce heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes.
  3.  Without removing lid, remove skillet from heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Gently stir peas into rice, then sprinkle with peanuts, remaining one-third scallions, and remaining ¼ cup cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and extra chili-garlic sauce.
One-Pan Plant-Based Meatballs with Coconut Rice
Photography by Joseph Keller. Styling by Chantal Lambeth.

One-Pan Plant-Based Meatballs with Coconut Rice

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Time

1¼ hours

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

½ cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons Asian chili-garlic sauce, plus extra for serving
2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
12 ounces plant-based ground meat
6 scallions, sliced thin, divided
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced ¼ inch thick
1 cup long-grain white rice, rinsed
1½ cups water
⅔ cup canned coconut milk
½ teaspoon table salt
½ cup frozen peas, thawed
¼ cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped coarse
Lime wedge

Ingredients

½ cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons Asian chili-garlic sauce, plus extra for serving
2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
12 ounces plant-based ground meat
6 scallions, sliced thin, divided
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced ¼ inch thick
1 cup long-grain white rice, rinsed
1½ cups water
⅔ cup canned coconut milk
½ teaspoon table salt
½ cup frozen peas, thawed
¼ cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped coarse
Lime wedge

Ingredients

½ cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons Asian chili-garlic sauce, plus extra for serving
2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
12 ounces plant-based ground meat
6 scallions, sliced thin, divided
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced ¼ inch thick
1 cup long-grain white rice, rinsed
1½ cups water
⅔ cup canned coconut milk
½ teaspoon table salt
½ cup frozen peas, thawed
¼ cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped coarse
Lime wedge

Why This Recipe Works

Boldly flavored plant-based meatballs cook up juicy and tender nestled in a skillet of creamy coconut rice in this skillet meal. The meatballs benefit from plentiful seasonings: cilantro, scallions, and ginger, plus doses of chili-garlic sauce and soy sauce for heat and savory depth. Panko bread crumbs bind the mixture and keep the meatballs moist. Chilling the meatballs helps them stay round as they brown, as does turning them frequently. After browning the meatballs, we remove them from the skillet and soften bell peppers and toast the rice. To simmer the rice, we swap out some of the water for coconut milk—just enough to provide coconutty richness without making the finished dish heavy. We return the meatballs to the skillet to finish cooking with the rice, add a handful of frozen peas off the heat to warm through, and then finish the dish with fresh cilantro and scallions, a squeeze of lime juice, and crunchy chopped peanuts.

Before You Begin

Any long-grain white rice can be substituted for the jasmine rice. You will need a 12-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid.

Instructions

  1.  Stir panko, chili-garlic sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and ginger in large bowl until evenly combined. Break ground meat into small pieces and add to bowl with panko mixture along with two-thirds of scallions and ¼ cup cilantro. Gently knead with your hands until mixture is well combined. Using your moistened hands, pinch off and roll meat mixture into 1½-inch meatballs. (You should have 12 meatballs.) Transfer meatballs to plate and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 24 hours.
  2.  Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add meatballs and cook until well browned all over, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer meatballs to clean plate. Add bell peppers to fat left in skillet and cook until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until edges of rice begin to turn translucent, about 1 minute. Stir in water, coconut milk, salt, and remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce and bring to boil. Nestle meatballs into rice, cover skillet, reduce heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes.
  3.  Without removing lid, remove skillet from heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Gently stir peas into rice, then sprinkle with peanuts, remaining one-third scallions, and remaining ¼ cup cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and extra chili-garlic sauce.

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