Juicy baked meatballs, a refreshing Asian salad, and a delicious rice vinegar dressing all come together in these Scallion Pork Meatball and Avocado Cucumber Bowls to make one amazing meal!
Jump to RecipeRecently I’ve been on a total Asian kick. I don’t know about you, but, whenever I’m craving Asian food, I just have to have it. There’s no getting around it. Especially when these Scallion Pork Meatball and Avocado Cucumber Bowls are on the table. The perfect, easy meal that can get thrown on the table in just a matter of minutes: these bowls are perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Better yet? Let’s talk about those flavors.
First and foremost is that sauce. I can honestly say it’s one of the best Asian sauces you will ever taste, and, besides the occasional peanut sauce, the only Asian sauce you will ever need.
It starts off with a generous amount of rice vinegar for some tang, but then has the sweet honey and warming flavors of the hoisin sauce to balance everything out. If you aren’t familiar with hoisin sauce, it’s time to get acquainted. It’s filled with a number of ingredients that would make the ingredient list go on for pages (think peanut butter, white vinegar, hot sauce, etc..), so I always opt for a store bought bottle. But, you could definitely make it yourself if you have all of the ingredients. I consider it my ultimate secret weapon for easy Asian cooking, so I always have a bottle on hand. With just a few more ingredients for some spice and toasty flavor, the sauce is done. Perfection!
The best part about the sauce? You use it to dress the salad AND for topping the bowls! I don’t know about you, but I don’t want any part of a recipe that requires I make two dressings. In these Scallion Pork Meatball and Avocado Cucumber Bowls, the dressing is simply reused and revamped for the top. So easy!
The first half of that finger-licking sauce coats the avocado cucumber salad. Which, if we were being exact, should be called the “avocado cucumber scallion sesame seed salad,” but that would be a mouthful. But really, with just a few simple ingredients and half of that dreamy dressing, the salad is done. The key is in the textures. I think it’s safe to assume the avocado can speak for itself… avocado is amazing. But, cucumbers can sometimes miss the mark. In these Scallion Pork Meatball and Avocado Cucumber Bowls, I like to peel the cucumber with a vegetable peeler (not including the skin, though). The long strands of cucumber add the perfect texture to the bowls, as opposed to a boring old dice. Plus, they soak up all that good dressing while the salad marinates a lot better when in those long strips, which is always good.
The texture is topped off with some crunch from those sesame seeds (or Everything Bagel Seasoning if you are feeling fancy) and it’s good to go! But seriously, the longer it sits, the better it gets. I like to make it earlier in the day so that the salad is super flavorful by the time dinner comes around.
The last component of these Scallion Pork Meatball and Avocado Cucumber Bowls is the pork meatballs. These meatballs are definitely not like any other boring meatball. I actually dice up 3 full scallions and toss them in. Dicing scallions is a little bit unusual, but it makes for the perfect flavor in these Asian pork meatballs. With just a few more punches of flavor from the fresh ginger, soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil, these meatballs are super easy.
Also, they’re a whole lot healthier when baked in the oven, yet still achieve that perfect “fried” crisp if you spray or drizzle them with oil before baking. Along those lines, you could totally switch out the pork for a different option. I love to use ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground beef. If you are using ground chicken or a lean ground turkey, however, I would add an extra teaspoon of sesame oil for some extra moisture. Ground pork has tons of flavor and moisture, though, so you should give it a shot!
With a scoop of jasmine rice, a healthy amount of the cucumber avocado salad, and those perfectly juicy pork meatballs, all there’s left to do is top it with that leftover-revamped sauce. You could honestly just leave it as is, if you’re in a time crunch. But, adding that soy sauce, honey, and water adds the perfect flavor to set it over the top; more than that, reducing the sauce makes the whole dish come together as a comforting, yet fresh dinner… which is pretty much what I’m always craving. I hope you enjoy these Scallion Pork Meatball and Avocado Cucumber Bowls as much as I do! Enjoy!
Scallion Pork Meatball and Avocado Cucumber Bowls
Course: Main CourseCuisine: AsianDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes15
minutes30
minutesJuicy baked meatballs, a refreshing Asian salad, and a delicious rice vinegar dressing all come together in these Scallion Pork Meatball and Avocado Cucumber Bowls to make one amazing meal!
Ingredients
- bowls:
½ cup rice vinegar
3 tbsp honey + 1 tbsp
¼ cup hoisin sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp chili paste or sriracha
2 english cucumbers, shaved lengthwise and sliced in half
2 avocados, diced
6 full scallions, sliced
2 tbsp sesame seeds*
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cups jasmine rice, prepared according to package
- meatballs:
1 lb ground pork (for ground chicken or ground beef, see notes)
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
3 scallions, minced
2 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
¼ cup breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and a wire baking rack. Grease the wire rack with olive oil or cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, 3 tbsp honey, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, salt, red pepper flakes, and chili paste.
- Toss half of the prepared dressing with the cucumber slices, avocado, scallions, and toasted sesame seeds. Allow to marinate for at least 20 minutes, or up to two days in the fridge. Reserve the rest of the dressing for later.
- To make the meatballs, combine all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Roll into 1-2 inch balls and place on the prepared wire rack. Drizzle or spray the meatballs with olive oil and bake for 15 minutes, or until they are cooked through and slightly crisp.
- In a small saucepan, heat the leftover dressing, 2 tbsp soy sauce, extra 1 tbsp honey, and 3 tbsp water over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, until the sauce has slightly thickened.
- To build your bowls, layer a scoop of jasmine rice, the cucumber avocado salad, and the meatballs. Drizzle with the warm dressing and enjoy!
Notes
- Instead of sesame seeds, you could also use Everything Bagel Seasoning
- You could also add a bed of spinach under the cucumber avocado salad for some extra greens!
- You could easily substitute the ground pork for ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground beef. If you are using ground chicken or a lean ground turkey, however, I would add an extra teaspoon of sesame oil for some extra moisture.