It matters not that many years have passed. Nor does the cross-country distance matter.
In my mind, those family Christmas dinners are etched in precious stone, and I remember them well.
My mother comes from a family of ten kids (not a typo.) She’s affectionately known as Sister Number Four. Which means I have many, many aunties. And countless cousins. Translation: huge holiday gatherings.
You could count on two things for our crowded Christmas gatherings : noise and food. A ridiculous amount of both.
In fact, little has changed. Our big family holidays are still bursting with loudness and good eats. Except now all The Littles belong to me and my cousins.
The food is like no other. A mouthwatering array of both Asian and American dishes that everyone brings to the tables (plural), until there’s no more table left…
One of my aunties is famous for bringing delectable appetizers that taste as delicious as they look. These Hawaiian Luau Meatballs remind me of such fabulous finger food.
These tender, juicy meatballs are every bit as tasty as they look. They are the perfect balance of savory, sweet, and tangy. Each bite delivers the succulent flavors of a Hawaiian Luau in a convenient cocktail meatball.
And, they are easy. Crock-pot easy.
This is the appetizer that people will crowd around and eat more than their fair share of.
Easy, delicious, and perfect for holiday parties.
I’m thinking these are also going to be a hit at someone’s next Game Day bash, too.
Enjoy!
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These meatballs are the perfect blend of savory, sweet, and tangy. The flavors of a Hawaiian Luau in every bite. Tender, juicy, and crock-pot easy.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 cup dry plain bread crumbs
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 4 TB orange juice
- 2 tsp ground onion
- 2 (13 oz) packages Campbell’s Slow Cooker Sauce (Hawaiian Luau)
- 4 TB brown sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs, kosher salt, orange juice, and ground onion. Form into 44 meatballs; place on large baking sheets. Bake about 20 minutes at 350F.
- In a slow cooker, combine packages of Hawaiian Luau sauce with brown sugar. Add meatballs, thoroughly coat with sauce, and keep covered on low setting for at least 1 hour. Keep on low or warm setting, and serve meatballs warm, straight from your slow-cooker!
- * Note: Frozen meatballs may be used in place of making your own, but try not to use Italian flavored meatballs (the spices won’t jive as well with Asian flavors.)
Source: Chew Out Loud
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This post brought to you by Campbell’s Dinner Sauces. Weekend-worthy dinners with only weekday-level effort needed! Learn more at http://www.campbellsauces.com/
Recap. Have you seen these? Once you try these Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings, no other chicken wing will measure up:
And this luscious Brie en Croute? Sublime (and impressively easy!) party appetizer:
Don’t leave out the Buffalo Chicken Dip. And Sriracha. I mean Sriracha Buffalo Chicken Dip.
Thank you for sharing these delicious meatballs – I just love meatballs! I’m in Australia and have never heard of the Campbells Hawaiian packet sauce. Would you be able to tell me the sort of spices that would be in that by any chance? thank you for the inspiration
Hi, Food Fairy :). This sauce is similar to a sweet and tangy sauce you’d get in sweet/sour Asian dishes. Such as sweet and sour chicken or pork. In general, a common blend would include pineapple juice, sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce/salt. Keep checking back, as I plan to have a sweet and sour chicken recipe post :). Thanks for visiting, and love your gravatar!
I’m thinking of making the Hawaiian Luau Meatballs. It calls for ground onion? Is it granulated onion powder or an onion that you grate on your grater? Thanks!
Hi! Yes, just ground onion powder. Enjoy, and glad you’re here. 🙂
These meatballs sound so good. Thank you.
Hi, these look great and I”m going to make them!
My only question is, can I make these meatballs ahead of time and then let them refrigerate overnight before adding them to the crockpot or should I just shape them and not actual bake them and leave them overnight to then bake them later and add to crockpot.
Sorry, I’m planning on making these for a party and would like to do the prep work beforehand.
Yes, you can definitely make them ahead and add to crockpot the next day! 🙂
where can I find the campbells slow cooker sauce (Hawaiiam Luau) in stores in Edmonton?
Oh, I’m not sure about Canada. I get mine at any local super market… My best guess would be to try your largest nearby super market, in the prepared soups aisles. I’m sure the employees could help you out also. Thanks for coming over, Holly! 🙂
Can coat the meatballs in the sauce in a half tray pan and cook them in the oven? It should come out the same right? If so, any idea on temperature and for how long? Thank you!
Lisa, you can absolutely do these in the oven, with sauce and all. I would try 350F for about 15 min, or just enough to thoroughly heat the meatballs. Once sauce is bubbly, it should be great. Enjoy!
Question… if I use frozen meatballs do I need to cook them before I put them in crockpot?
No, you don’t need to precook them. Hope you love this, Trisha! Enjoy and thanks for coming over 🙂
Hi there
If I’m usung frozen meatballs should I cut out the egg and bread crumbs?
Yes, Sylvia, if using frozen meatballs, omit egg and crumbs. Enjoy!
Hi!! I’m making these meatballs, right now, what size do I make the meatballs?
Hi, Shawn! I usually make mine about 1-1.5 inches diameter. Enjoy!