Turkey Banh Mi Quinoa Bowls
The beloved Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich in grain bowl form! Easy to make, packed with crunchy veggies and delivering tons of delicious flavor in every bite - these grain bowls will be your new favorite weeknight meal.
Servings: 2 bowls
Ingredients
For the pickled onions:
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup warm water
For the meatballs:
- ½ pound ground turkey thigh
- ¼ pound ground turkey breast
- 2 teaspoons minced lemongrass
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon chili sauce i.e. sriracha
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the spicy mayo:
- ¼ cup olive oil mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon sriracha
For the bowl:
- ½ cup quinoa
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup chopped English cucumber
- ½ a jalapenõ pepper thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot spiralized (or sliced into thin rounds if you don't have a spiralizer)
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- If you haven't already made them ahead of time, mix the vinegar, sugar, salt and water in a small bowl. Add the sliced onions to a mason jar or other container with a lid, pour the pickling mixture over the onions and let pickle until ready to use. If you are making them ahead of time store the jar in your refrigerator.
- Add the quinoa and water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until water is evaporated. Remove from heat and let sit with the lid on for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- To make the meatballs mix the turkey, lemongrass, garlic, chili sauce and salt together in a small mixing bowl. Form into meatballs using a scoop or your hands and place them on the baking sheet. You should get about 10 meatballs out of the mixture. Cook the meatballs for 20 minutes.
- While the meatballs are cooking mix the mayo, sriracha and lime juice in a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- To assemble the bowls divide the quinoa between two large soup or salad bowls. Add the meatballs, onions, carrots, cucumber and jalapenõ. Drizzle with the spicy mayo and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
The prep time in this recipe includes 60 minutes for pickling the onions. If possible I recommend you do this ahead of time. The onions will taste even better and it cuts your cook + prep time down to just over 30 minutes.