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Easy Meatball Curry Recipe- With Frozen Meatballs!

I like to experiment with foods I already love, and try to make something different out of them.

Every time I go to Jungle Jim’s, I buy a huge tub of curry paste. It’s cheaper there than anywhere else I’ve seen, and it’s SO good. It lasts me quite awhile, too.

Recently, I had half a bag of frozen meatballs with no meal to put them in. And I was craving some kind of curry, so I thought: What if I used these meatballs as the protein in my curry?

A bowl of meatball curry with text "Easy meatball curry"

This meatball curry is definitely NOT traditional by any means; but it was a great way to use up some leftovers and it has easy ingredients. It’s made with a homemade coconut curry sauce and full of spices!

Scroll to the bottom to get to the recipe card, or keep reading for extra tips!

A great meal prep recipe

These coconut curry meatballs are SO easy to prep for the week and make a great addition to your meal rotation! In about 30 minutes, you can have lunch ready for work, or an easy dinner for when you get home.

I love doing meal prep for my family. A little bit of time now means a lot of time (and stress) saved later!

Ingredients for meatball curry- frozen meatballs, frozen stir fry vegetables, coconut milk, curry powder, red curry paste, instant brown rice

Ingredients

The main ingredients are super simple. And most of them are pantry/freezer staples, so it’s easy to stock up on these!

Frozen meatballs

Coconut milk- I like to use full fat when I can for extra creaminess

Curry paste

Curry powder

Salt and black pepper

Frozen stir fry vegetables

Rice

Additions/Substitutions

You can easily make a couple of tweaks to make this your own!

Meatballs: I used plain beef meatballs, but turkey meatballs or chicken meatballs would work too

Spices: Instead of curry powder, you can use any of your favorites: garam masala, chili powder, or other ground spices

Curry paste: My favorite is red curry paste, but other flavors would work! This adds so much flavor to the meal.

Rice: White rice, brown rice, or Basmati rice would be fine. To make this lower in carbs, you could use cauliflower rice.

Can I use homemade meatballs?

I use frozen meatballs with this because it’s super easy. But if you want to use your own homemade meatballs with ground meat, that should be okay. I’d recommend cooking them first before adding them to the curry mixture!

Making your own meat balls takes a bit of time. It uses ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken. Then bread crumbs and other spices are added to the meat mixture. I like to bake mine in the oven until they’re golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F; and my favorite recipe is also freezer friendly!

How to make

A large skillet filled with ingredients for meatball curry

In a large skillet, add meatballs, coconut milk, curry powder, and stir fry vegetables.

A large skillet filled with cooked meatball curry

Heat to boiling, then turn down to medium heat and let simmer for 10-15 minutes until the meatballs are fully cooked.

A pot filled with cooked instant rice

Meanwhile, cook rice using desired method.

A bowl filled with meatball curry and rice

Add salt and pepper to the curry mixture, then divide into bowls with the rice.

How to store

Once this has cooled to room temperature, store in an airtight container in the fridge. Use up within 3-5 days.

What to serve with this

I cook a big batch of rice to go with this! White rice or brown rice would be just fine in this.

If you want some extra veggies, you could add an extra bag of stir fry vegetables while the curry cooks, or add your own favorite mixture.

More Meatball Recipes

Want some more ways to use up leftover meatballs? Check out my roundup post of meatball recipes!

Print the recipe now for this easy meatball curry:

Meatball Curry

Meatball Curry

Yield: 4 servings

Looking for a unique way to use up frozen meatballs? Try this meatball curry that's full of spice and easy to make!

Ingredients

  • 24 frozen meatballs (Around half a bag)
  • 2 tablespoons red curry paste
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 16-ounce bag frozen stir fry vegetables
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup uncooked rice

Instructions

    1. In a large skillet, add meatballs, coconut milk, curry powder, and stir fry vegetables.
    2. Heat to boiling, then turn down the heat to medium and let simmer for 15-20 minutes until the meatballs are fully cooked.
    3. Meanwhile, cook rice using desired method.
    4. Add salt and pepper to the curry mixture, then divide into bowls with the rice.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 790Total Fat: 52gSaturated Fat: 28gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 74mgSodium: 1637mgCarbohydrates: 62gFiber: 6gSugar: 7gProtein: 25g

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