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This was 110% perfect. I used a 90 second microwave rice because I’m lazy and let the veggies pickle for a while before cooking the meatballs. We scarfed this down!
Marliss
This recipe is sponsored by ALDI
Let me tell you about something that I capital L-O-V-E love to eat.
It’s a sticky ginger rice bowl with hot white rice, sticky-sweet meatballs with a little bit of kick, crunchy quick pickled vegetables, and a fresh juicy ripe mango. Hello flavor, color, and texture. Hello happy, feel-good, full in my belly.
There’s Everything To Love About These Rice Bowls
In addition to being the thing I can’t stop eating lately, it’s also:
- vegan (!!)
- gingery and fresh
- sticky and sweet
- just a tiny bit spicy
- the right amount of crispy-crunchy
- juicy and fresh
- and flexible to whatever protein or other vegetables you like.
Speaking of protein, let’s chat for a moment about ALDI Earth Grown Vegan Meatless Meatballs.
When we did the shrimp and cauli rice recipe a few weeks ago, it sparked a conversation on Instagram stories about what you all love to buy from ALDI. Most of the things that you all said were things I already knew and loved: oat milk, cheeses, crackers, tofu, ground beef, seafood, etc.
But one thing that so many of you RAVED about that I had never tried were these meatless meatballs. So obviously, it was an add-to-cart moment for me.
AND OBVIOUSLY, THEY WERE AMAZING! You did not steer me wrong. And you are now responsible for my new obsession. This is on you right now.
Another good news item to report on the ALDI front: they are now carrying fresh ginger. Shout it from the rooftops! Fresh ginger at ALDI!
So we made this whole thing, totally vegan, including a sticky-sweet ginger-forward sauce using fresh ginger, all from ALDI. Boom. Affordable, practical, delicious. Couldn’t love it more.
Completely Meatless and Vegan
The direct quote from Bjork after he took his first bite: “This is seriously vegan?”
Some of you POY readers are vegan all the time, and some are occasionally trying to eat less meat, and some are… curious? experimenting? with meatless options. Either way – if you are the kind of person who is not only proving to yourself that meatless really can taste awesome, but also working to get a spouse, partner, or child on that train with you, these meatballs (and this sweet-and-spicy sticky sauce, and those pickled veg, and that fresh juicy mango, omg omg omg) might just be your ticket to success.
And if life seems a little SOS-y and you need to save this one for the weekend, should you then also buy the refrigerated tofu and vegetable dumplings from ALDI and pan-fry them and just straight dip them in a double batch of this sauce? Yes. You should. I can recommend.
Sticky, delicious, meatless summery perfection.
I really love this recipe.
Sticky Ginger Rice Bowls: FAQs
Totally! To make this 100% vegan, replace the honey with brown sugar, agave, or maple syrup.
My standard rice method for the Instant Pot is 1 cup white rice combined with 1 1/4 cups water. Toss both in the Instant Pot on high pressure for 3 minutes. Allow for a natural pressure release (a.k.a. don’t let the steam out yet) for 15 minutes. Done!
Sure! This chicken meatballs recipe is SO GOOD. If you can’t find ground chicken, ground turkey will work. The Kirkwood Fresh Ground Turkey from ALDI is everything!
Sticky Ginger Rice Bowls with Pickled Veg and Mango
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
You’re going to fall in LOVE with these Sticky Ginger Rice Bowls! It’s a sweet-meets-spicy sauce situation, flavorful meatballs, pickled veg, and mango on top. The perfect (vegan) summery meal!
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup Fusia Soy Sauce
- 2–3 tablespoons Specially Selected Raw Honey
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 clove garlic
- one 1-inch knob of fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek or Fusia Sriracha (more or less to taste for some heat)
Rice Bowls and Extras:
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked white or jasmine rice
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 1 large cucumber, halved and sliced
- just a lil bit of rice vinegar, oil, salt, and sugar
- one 16-ounce bag Earth Grown Vegan Meatless Meatballs
- 1 large mango, peeled and cubed
- cilantro for topping
Instructions
- Make the rice: Cook rice according to package directions.
- Blend the sauce: Blend all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.
- Make the pickled veg: Toss your veggies with enough vinegar and oil to just barely coat. Season with salt and sugar. Voila – it’s a very low-key pickled vegetable salad.
- Cook the meatballs: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add meatballs and most of the sauce. Sauté for 5-8 minutes, shaking the pan to move them around and coat them in sticky sauce until they are cooked through. (You can also cover the pan with a lid to speed up the cook time for the meatballs.)
- Assemble: Serve meatballs over rice with a scoop of the pickled veggies, mango, and a handful of cilantro. Spoon a little bit of extra sauce over the top. SO GOOD.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Bowl
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
Keywords: rice bowl, bowl recipe, vegetarian bowl recipe
Thank you to ALDI for sponsoring this post!
More Bowl Recipes We Love!
- Chipotle Tahini Bowls (made with the most addicting chipotle tahini sauce)
- Roasted Vegetable Bowls with Green Tahini (incredibly easy to meal prep!)
- Crunchy Roll Bowls (the fried onions here are a must)
- Sheet Pan BBQ Tofu (the absolute best way to make tofu)
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our creamy and delicious dairy-free recipes. Check it out!
Didn’t think honey was vegan
I am a private meal planner and used this recipe for a client — they came back and told me this was an absolute favorite meal to date! 🙂
DELICIOUS!!! Would have been even better if I didn’t burn the sauce 🤦♀️🤦♀️. I used gardein brand meatballs and was pleasantly surprised how good they were
Once again anoooottthhhher amazing recipe with great flavors that is easy to make and tastes incredible!! Thank you! Adding this to the list of favs!
I’m not a vegan so I used some frozen Costco meatballs I had on hand and mixed with the sauce after I baked them. The combo of all the toppings & rice were delicious.
I’ve tried this recipe twice and had the same issue, the meatballs with the sauce are soo salty I couldn’t get through them. Any suggestions?
You could try replacing some of the soy sauce with water to make the sauce less salty!
This is our favorite of all your recipes! We love to add avocado and shelled edamame, too! Thanks for such a great dish!
Our family LOVES this recipe! We make it with the POY chicken meatballs and the flavor combination is just to die for!!
This is one of my favorite recipes but it is not vegan given the honey.
This dish looks absolutely amazing…
Too bad I didn’t see them here in AU Aldi…
Any suggestions for bringing out the ginger ? I added extra and the soy sauce flavor came through much stronger.
You could try adding even more!
I love this recipe! I make this at home for my partner and me at least 2 times a month. Such a simple recipe, but packed-full of flavor! ONLY problem is that my grocery store stopped carrying veggie meatballs, so I’m on the hunt for them again!
This sweet sauce isn’t vegan by the way. I’m going to try with agave instead of honey. Sounds delicious. Can’t wait to try it.
We make this weekly! So easy and so, so delicious.
made this, so good. used vegan meatballs from Ikea, decreased the amount of rice vinegar since it was a bit too sour for us. otherwise perfection!
I’d recommend increasing the sauce- so you have enough to split among servings.
Hello – excited to add this to our grocery list for next week. Quick question.. do you need to thaw the frozen meatballs before adding to the pan? Thanks!
hi! this looks amazing but I have one question – it calls for vinegar in the ingredient list but doesn’t say what type. I see below under the ingredients for rice bowls it says rice vinegar, but is that the same for both? thanks in advance!
Hi Larissa! Yes, rice vinegar will work for both!
This was fabulous!! Easy to make and bursting with flavor. Will definitely make again soon!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Carly!
Great vegetarian recipe. Really like the sauce. Thanks!
Got here by recommendation and sure glad I did! Had all the ingredients on hand except the mango. Grabbed 6 at the store. 🙂 Whole family loved it and would like to have it again. Thanks for this one!
We’re thrilled to hear this, Heather! Thanks for giving the recipe a try!
Me again! Just want to say that this is my all time favorite week night family meal. Can’t get enough. It’s quick, forgiving (got distracted and left out the ginger – still awesome) satisfying and loved by all. It’s also great for those to add as much of each ingredient to their bowl as they see fit. Just love it all around. Thank you!
Oh, I just bake frozen Gardein (or any meatlessballs on hand) in the toaster oven, don’t bother with the blender, toss the balls in some sauce when cooked thoroughly, and use the instant pot for brown rice… Really couldn’t get any easier.
I made this with grilled chicken and my husband literally groaned as he took his first bite. We both loved it; easy to make and a delightful combination of flavors.
Great idea using grilled chicken! So glad you both enjoyed it!
Made this tonight and it turned out wonderfully! I couldn’t find this brand of veg meatballs so we used regular frozen homestyle meatballs. The sauce is amaaaazing and my kids gobbled up these pickled veggies.
Glad the recipe was a hit, Katy!
We love Aldi but tend to buy the same things there – thank you for this recipe and a good reason to try these meatballs! They were wonderful. My daughter and I didn’t tell my teenage sons or my husband they were meatless – and everyone loved them! (Wed did double the recipe AND then doubled the sauce for our family of 5, which was perfect – just enough leftovers.) Thanks again.
So glad it was a hit with your family!
This was the perfect dinner! The right amount of veggies, spice, sweetness, protein, everything I was craving!
Made the full recipe so we enjoyed left overs for lunch the next day. Quick easy pickled veg was delish.
So glad to hear it, Marilla!
This was an easy and delicious dinner, even a hit with our 2.5year old! Made with the chicken meatballs suggested, otherwise exactly as written. Next time will be making extra sauce 🙂
So glad it wa a hit!