This Braised Asian Meatballs and Cabbage dinner is the epitome of quick. You can pull it together in just 15 or 20 minutes with only a handful of dirty dishes left for you when you’re done. Now that’s my kind of busy weeknight meal, and with the start of school coming up soon, I know we’ll all need plenty of those at our disposal!
Plus, with the cabbage mixed in with the meatballs and the whole thing served over whole-grain rice noodles, it definitely qualifies as a one-dish meal. I hope your family enjoys this one as much as mine does!
Braised Asian Meatballs and Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/2 large green cabbage, trimmed and sliced (or 1 whole small green cabbage)
- 1 cup chicken broth, or veggie broth
- brown rice noodles, cooked according to package directions (for serving)
- green onions, sliced, optional garnish
Instructions
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In a large mixing bowl, use your hands to combine the pork, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. Form into golf ball sized meatballs and set aside.
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In a large sauté pan (with sides and a lid), heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides, about 5 minutes.
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Add the cabbage and cook while stirring for another minute or two until it begins to wilt.
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Pour in the broth, cover with the lid, and cook until the meatballs are done all the way through (no longer pink on the inside), another 5 minutes.
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Remove the lid and simmer for another minute or two so the liquid can reduce slightly. Pour over rice noodles, garnish with green onions, and serve warm.
Recipe Notes
1. Gluten-free when using gluten-free soy sauce.
2. Coconut is not a tree nut. However, if you have a tree nut allergy, consult your doctor before consuming.
3. We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
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Christina
July 24, 2017 at 12:31 pmI got all excited seeing this..Being Taiwanese, this dish 紅燒獅子頭 （Hong Shao ShiZi Tou）this one of my favorite Chinese food, it reminds me of home !!!!
Robert K Walker
July 24, 2017 at 5:32 pmHow is real food related to heaviness, health and happiness? See some scientific findings and meet my 99 year old mother, who swears by real food.
Kathryn @ Mamacado
July 25, 2017 at 11:23 amThis looks delicious! I love that it’s a nice change from our usual meatballs. I will leave out the sesame due to my son’s allergies, but the rest of the ingredients look great! Thanks!
Hélène
July 25, 2017 at 12:44 pmQuick (once mtballs are made), one dish meal, yay
AME
July 25, 2017 at 6:50 pmOur area isn’t very “real food” friendly and I have a difficult time finding pork that follows the rules. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Sabrina B
July 27, 2017 at 4:19 pmgreat recipe idea, wow, love how quick this is, love the pork-cabbage flavor combination, thank you!
Mandy
July 28, 2017 at 8:14 amMade thos dish last night. Quick, easy and delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Jackie Lovett
July 28, 2017 at 7:12 pmmade last night and I don’t know what I did wrong but the meatballs were dry and not a lot of flavor except the heat from the red peppers.
angela
August 7, 2017 at 6:52 pmThe flavor was outstanding, but the meatballs were really dry. Next time I’ll just break the ground pork up in the pan and add all the seasonings in with it.
Lindsay
August 8, 2017 at 8:09 amThis looks so delicious! I can’t wait to try it! As a college student, I’m always looking for quick, easy, and delicious recipes.
Lindsay
August 15, 2017 at 11:02 amUpdate: I made this last night and it was so delicious and full of flavor! Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
Becky
August 10, 2017 at 12:58 amI had a head of Napa cabbage that I used in place of regular, and added some Siriacha…my chef hubby calls it a keeper! Thank you for this awesomely easy dinner (with enough leftovers for some lunches, too)!
Barbara
September 27, 2017 at 8:13 pmThese meatballs were great though I probably doubled the ginger in them and added about 1.5 tsp fish sauce to them. I also cooked up some julienned carrots and red peppers with the cabbage since they were in the fridge and needed to be used. I thought the cabbage/broth mixture could have used a little more seasoning though. Maybe some soy sauce or rice vinegar with the chicken broth? The recipe is a good basis to do some experimenting with though!
Emily Elliott
March 27, 2018 at 5:15 pmI took your suggestion and added rice wine vinegar to the broth! It was super delish. I also took the meatballs out once they were done and let the cabbage simmer in the broth and vinegar for 20 more minutes.
Ashley
October 22, 2017 at 12:47 pmWondering if anyone has made this with ground turkey instead? Our store happend to be out of ground pork (which I used last time). I imagine it will still turn out well.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
November 13, 2017 at 12:21 pmHow did it turn out?
Louise Johnson
March 11, 2018 at 3:35 pmSuch an easy recipe & absolutely delicious. My husband, who is a picky eater, loved this dish. Will definitely make again.
Francine
March 31, 2019 at 6:50 pmAmazing! I used 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey and adjusted the ingredients for the meatballs, and added cabbage, accordingly. For the broth I used 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth and added 2 tsp brown sugar and 4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce. This is definitely a keeper!