Ginger-Sesame Low FODMAP Meatballs (Gluten-Free)

My favorite gluten-free meatball hack is to use whole oats, which is what allows this Asian-inspired low FODMAP meatball recipe to be so healthy.

I’ve always found that gluten-free breadcrumbs make the balls a little soggy. Plus, I prefer to go for whole grains when I can: enter pulsed oats for the WIN. If you want to read more about how it works, click here for the gluten-free meatball recipe that started it all.

All that meatball talk made me start craving having a batch ready to go in the fridge for easy lunches and snacking. Since Charlie no longer eats meat, I find myself eating more of it during the day when I’m fending for myself. I’ll opt for dishes that keep really well as I work my way through them over a longer period of time, and are easy to create sub-portions from…which is why I’ve been eating a lot of meatballs this year!

These Japanese-inspired meatballs are flavored with ginger, sesame oil and tamari. I always add a giant helping of chopped greens to my balls, in this case, cilantro. Any herb will work, but I love how cilantro melts away into the background.

These low FODMAP meatballs are delicious on their own, but they work great as a meal prep component in these rice bowls. Simply julienne some carrots and/or cucumbers. You could also make a quick little cabbage slaw. Have some premade rice on hand and then top with the ginger-sesame sauce.

This sauce is more of a dressing than what you’re used to slathering on sticky meatballs, but it really works to keep things light and quick for a weeknight (or day!) meal. It’s an adaptation of this sesame dressing that I love tossing with carrots and uses tahini to give it extra sesame flavor and creaminess.

You could easily make this recipe paleo by subbing arrowroot starch for the oats and coconut aminos for the tamari. Serve it over cauliflower rice or simply a bed of greens. If you’re not low FODMAP feel free to add the white parts of the scallions and any other alliums to the meatballs mixture. Lastly, these ginger meatballs work just as well with chicken or ground turkey if you’re not a red meat eater.

Read on for the recipe for these ginger gluten-free low FODMAP meatballs. It may look like a lot of ingredients, but they are mostly repeated between the balls and the sauce – I promise it is quick and easy.

More gluten-free meatball recipes:

• 25-Minute Gluten-Free Beef Meatballs
• Baked Gluten-Free Chicken Meatballs
• Gluten-Free Lamb Meatballs
• Vegan Swedish Meatballs
• Southwestern Gluten-Free Turkey Meatballs
• Low FODMAP Sheet Pan Meatballs
• Gluten-Free Chicken Tikka Meatballs
• Gluten-free Vegetarian Meatballs with Quinoa and Lentils

And check out these low FODMAP dinner recipes for more easy, quick weeknight options with chicken, pork and more.

With health and hedonism,

Phoebe

Ginger-Sesame Low FODMAP Meatball Rice Bowls (Gluten-Free)

5 from 9 votes

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There are plenty of ways to add variety to these low FODMAP meatball rice bowls. You can quick pickle the carrots with a little rice vinegar and salt, or sub in cucumbers. If you’re not low FODMAP feel free to add white scallions and/or garlic into the meatballs. And finally, you can use gluten-free breadcrumbs instead of the oats if you want to simplify further, but I love the texture of the pulsed oats in this recipe.

Servings 4

Author Phoebe Lapine

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef chicken or turkey
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
• One 2-inch knob of ginger peeled and minced or grated (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 large egg beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoons gluten-free tamari
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• ½ cup gluten-free oats
• 2 scallions green parts only, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 4 cups cooked white rice for serving
• 2 large carrots, julienned for serving
• For the ginger-sesame sauce:
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free tamari
• One two-inch knob of ginger peeled
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine the ground meat, cilantro, ginger, egg, salt, tamari, and sesame oil.
• In a small food processor, pulse the oats until coarsely ground. Add to the bowl. With clean hands, mix the meat with the other ingredients until loosely combined. You don’t want to overly break up the meat. Form the mixture into 2-inch balls (an ice cream scoop works well for portioning) and roll in your hands until round and smooth. You should have a dozen balls.
• Arrange the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in the oven until cooked through and beginning to brown on the bottom, about 20-25 minutes.
• While the meatballs cook, make the sauce: in a small food processor (same one is fine!) combine the tahini, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, tamari, ginger and sesame oil and puree until smooth. Add more salt as necessary or water to thin the mixture.
• Transfer to a serving vessel and garnish with the scallions and sesame seeds, or make bowls with rice and julienned carrots. Drizzle with the sauce and serve.

If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe – I’d love to see it!