Curry Meatballs

Indian Meatballs with Curry Sauce, Rice, and Naan

This recipe for Indian curry meatballs makes juicy, tender, oven-baked meatballs tossed with a delicious sauce. They are freezer friendly and great for meal prep!

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 12

Total Time: 27

Servings: servings

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

1 lb. ground pork
1 tablespoon sour cream, or plain yogurt
1 large egg
½ cup red onion, finely diced
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon curry powder
¾ teaspoon chili powder
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon garam masala

Curry Sauce:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ medium red onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, chopped
¼ cup tomato paste
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth*
½ cup sour cream, or plain yogurt
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¾ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ cup heavy cream, or coconut cream
chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 425°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray the parchment paper with non-stick spray.

Make the Meatballs:

Use your hands to mix the meatball ingredients together in a large bowl. Take 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture at a time and roll into ping pong-size balls. Arrange the meatballs on the lined baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes. Flip halfway through so they cook and brown evenly.

Make the Sauce:

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the chopped onion and saute 3-5 minutes or until soft, add the garlic and saute another minute. Stir in the tomato paste, broth, sour cream (or yogurt), salt, pepper, and all of the spices.
Transfer the sauce to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the sauce back into the pan and stir in the heavy cream or coconut cream.
Once the meatballs are finished baking, add them to the pan and toss to coat with the sauce.
Serve meatballs and sauce with a side of rice and naan bread, if desired. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.

Notes

This recipe makes 22-24 meatballs. If you don’t need all of them right away, you can easily freeze the baked or unbaked meatballs and save some for later.

To freeze unbaked meatballs: Roll into balls and arrange on a pan. Set the pan flat in the freezer until the meatballs are mostly solid (about 2 hours). Add them to a large plastic bag and keep frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bake as normal. You can also bake the meatballs straight from frozen. Place on a baking sheet and bake in a 425°F oven until no longer pink in the middle. Flip halfway through baking. Mine took 20 minutes to bake from frozen. You can cut one in half to check for doneness, or check the internal temperature with a digital meat thermometer.

To freeze baked meatballs: Let the meatballs cool completely and then set them flat in the freezer until pretty solid (about 2 hours). Add them to a plastic bag and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, place the frozen meatballs on a baking sheet and bake in a 300°F oven until warm. About 30-40 minutes.

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