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Banh Mi Inspired Meal Prep Bowls in glass rectangular meal prep containers.

Banh Mi Inspired Meal Prep Bowls

Yield: 4 servings 1x
Prep: 30 minutesCook: 30 minutesTotal: 1 hour

These incredible Banh Mi Inspired Meal Prep Bowls feature pickled vegetable salad, mini ground turkey meatballs, and a next level sriracha mayo sauce served over your favorite rice. Elevate lunchtime with this make-ahead option!

Units:
Scale:

Ingredients

For the pickled veggie salad:

  • 2 medium to large carrots
  • 1 small bunch of radishes (about 6 ounces trimmed)
  • 4 green onions
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (see note)
  • 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the turkey meatballs:

  • 1 pound ground turkey (93% lean – ground pork or chicken works too)
  • 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup Kewpie or regular mayonnaise
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • avocado oil, for frying (1-2 tablespoons)

For the sriracha mayo sauce:

  • 1/3 cup Kewpie or regular mayonnaise
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sriracha
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (about half 1 lime)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

For meal prep & serving:

  • 1 1/4 cups uncooked rice of choice + cooking liquid
  • 1/2 English cucumber
  • 2/3 cup cilantro leaves, or a mix of cilantro and mint

Instructions

  1. Make the veggie salad: Peel the carrots (2 medium or large) and half them lengthwise, then slice thinly on the diagonal into half moons. Trim the radishes (1 small bunch), then thinly slice into half moons the same size as the carrots. Thinly slice the green onions (4) as well, then toss the sliced veggies in a medium bowl with the rice vinegar (2 tablespoons), white sugar (1/2 teaspoon), and salt (1/4 teaspoon). Cover and set aside for serving later, or keep in the fridge.
  2. Cook the rice: Cook the rice (1 1/4 cups) as per your package directions and then set aside to cool while you prepare the rest of the meal. I like to cook my rice with chicken broth in the Instant Pot.
  3. Make the meatballs: In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey (1 pound), panko breadcrumbs (1/3 cup), mayonnaise (1/4 cup), garlic (2 cloves minced), ginger (1 tablespoon minced) and a very generous pinch of salt. Using wet hands or gloves, roll the mixture into balls just smaller than a tablespoon, placing them on a large plate or cutting board before frying. You should get approximately 28 meatballs, which gives you 7 meatballs per serving. 
  4. Cook the meatballs: Heat just enough avocado oil (~1 tablespoon) to cover the bottom of a large frying pan or Dutch Oven over medium heat. Working in batches and adding more oil as needed, brown the meatballs all over, setting the meatballs aside on a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess cooking oil. Turn the meatballs every 3 minutes or so; each batch should take about 10-12 minutes.
  5. Make the sauce: Whisk together the mayonnaise (1/3 cup), sriracha (1 1/2 tablespoons), fresh lime juice (1 tablespoon) and maple syrup (1 1/2 teaspoons) in a small bowl until smooth, adding a pinch of salt at the end to help balance out the sweetness.
  6. Slice the cucumber: Slice the cucumber (1/2) the same way as the carrots, split down the middle then into thin long slices on the diagonal – no need to peel! Also don’t be tempted to mix it in with the pickled veggie salad. Keeping it out of the liquid helps maintain crunch. 
  7. Meal prep it: Divide the meatballs and rice between four meal prep containers. Divide the pickled salad between four more smaller containers, laying 1/4 of the cucumber and the herbs on top of each one (you can also keep each component together and dish out the night before). Divide the sauce between 4 small sauce pots, and stash these in the salad container for easy storage. Store for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. To reheat the meatball and rice portions, add a tablespoon of water to create steam and loosely cover with the lid, then microwave on High in 1 minute until heated through.

Notes

Rice vinegar: Adjust the amount of sugar in the pickle salad depending on which type of rice vinegar your grocery store carries. Japanese rice vinegar comes seasoned, so reduce the amount you use a little. Chinese rice vinegar does not, so follow the recipe as written. Korean rice vinegar tends to be a little sharper than the Chinese version, so add a pinch more sugar. 

Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal.

Nutrition Information

  • Serving Size: 1 meal prep bowl
  • Calories: 632
  • Sugar: 7g
  • Fat: 28g
  • Carbohydrates: 60g
  • Protein: 27g
© Author: Danielle
Cuisine: Vietnamese-inspired Method: Stovetop