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
Units
Scale
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!