Green Rice with Meatballs

Ready to transform a simple weeknight dinner into a vibrant culinary adventure? This Green Rice with Meatballs recipe is your ticket! We're taking the humble combination of rice and ground meat and elevating it with a splash of color and a burst of South Asian-inspired flavors. The brilliant green hue comes from healthy spinach, while a zesty blend of ginger, garlic, and chili adds a delightful kick. It's a visually stunning dish that's as fun to make as it is to eat, proving that a wholesome, exciting meal is just a few simple steps away.

Green Rice with Meatballs

Cooking: 1 hour

Quantity: 4 Servings

Per serving

Calories: 543 kcal

Proteins: 31 g

Fats: 24 g

Carbohydrates: 45 g

Ingredients for Green Rice with Meatballs

• 200 g brown rice
• 50 g spinach puree or 80 g fresh spinach
• 4 chili peppers
• 70 g green onions (scallions)
• a small piece of fresh ginger
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 25 g butter
• salt, olive oil for frying

For the meatballs:

• 500 g lean ground meat or chicken
• 1 egg
• 1 onion
• a small bunch of dill
• ground paprika, meat seasoning, salt

How to Make Green Rice with Meatballs

In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, pour 250 ml of water, add 3-4 g of salt and the butter. When the water is hot and the butter has melted, add the well-rinsed brown rice. After it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and cover tightly with the lid. Cook on low heat for 20-25 minutes.

Cooking the rice

While the rice is cooking, let’s prepare the other ingredients. First, make the meatballs: in a deep bowl, combine the ground meat with the egg, salt, finely chopped onion, and chopped dill. Add the ground paprika and meat seasoning, and mix well. You can also add a little white bread soaked in milk or ground breadcrumbs to the mixture; this will make the meatballs more tender.

Preparing the ground meat

Form the mixture into small meatballs, about the size of a ping-pong ball. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Fry the meatballs on both sides until golden brown.

Forming and frying the meatballs

Separately, in a very hot skillet, sauté the whole red chili peppers (pricked with a fork), finely chopped ginger, crushed garlic, and chopped green onions for 2-3 minutes.

Frying garlic, chili peppers, ginger, and green onions

Take the ready-made canned spinach puree and add 2-3 tablespoons of cold water to it. Instead of canned puree, you can quickly process fresh spinach. To do this, place the washed, stemless leaves in boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain in a colander. Put the leaves in a food processor, add a little boiled water, and blend into a puree.

Preparing the spinach puree

Add the spinach puree and sautéed vegetables to the cooked rice, and stir until the rice turns a vibrant green.

Mixing the rice with vegetables and spinach paste

Pour a tablespoon of vegetable or olive oil into the bottom of a braiser. Add the rice with vegetables, and place the meatballs on top. Put the braiser on low heat and warm the dish for about 10 minutes.

Heating the dish with rice and meatballs

Serve the green rice with meatballs hot, garnished with fresh herbs and chili peppers.

Green Rice with Meatballs