Hello, friends. I’ve been working on a few new recipes, but I want to test them out a few more times before sharing them with you. For today, I have an easy dinner idea that I have done a few different ways plenty of times over the past three years or so. It’s not really a recipe, but I hope you still get inspiration from it and try it out yourself.
I like having the ingredients on hand for an easy meal like this so I can have a healthy lunch or dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.
Teriyaki meatballs with udon noodles
Udon noodles
1 bunch of kale
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
2 teaspoons vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 package Aidells Chicken Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs
Cook udon noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, prepare the kale. Tear the leaves away from the stem and discard stems. Wash kale and dry. Saute the kale in a heated, large skillet with soy sauce, sesame seeds, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Stir frequently so the kale doesn’t stick to the pan.
In a small bowl, combine the chili garlic sauce, vinegar, and the remaining olive oil. Add sauce to the pan along with cooked noodles and the meatballs. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until everything is fully heated.
Notes on ingredients:
- I use Hakubaku Organic Udon Noodles that I buy from World Market. For this recipe, which makes about 3 servings, you will use about 1/2 of the package.
- I really like the Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs from Aidells, as well as a some of their other products. If I see the Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs, I usually get them, especially because I don’t go to the same store every week and not every store stocks it. According to the Aidells website, they are in stock at my local Stater Bros. and Vons.
- You don’t have to use kale. I’ve used spinach quite a few times. I’m sure the meatballs and noodles would go great with bok choy or cabbage but I haven’t tried that myself yet.
- The chili garlic sauce is not to be confused with sriracha hot chili sauce. It’s chunkier (more like salsa texture) and has a punch of garlic. Huy Fong, the company famous for popularizing sirarcha, also makes chili garlic sauce. I use Trader Joe’s version, which is called Sweet Chili Sauce. I suppose it’s more sweet and less spicy that others, so you may want to adjust the vinegar in the recipe accordingly.
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