Sweet and Sour Meatballs
These sweet and sour meatballs are the perfect blend of savory, sweet, and tangy. You'll experience tender, juicy, succulent meatballs - great for party appetizers or an easy meal.
Servings: 40 meatballs
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 cup bread crumbs, dry plain
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 4 TB pineapple juice
- 2 tsp onion powder
For Sweet and Sour Sauce
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup brown sugar, tightly packed
- 4 TB tomato paste
- 2 TB tamari sauce, or soy sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 ½ TB corn starch, completely dissolved in 2 TB water
- toasted sesame seeds, for garnishing (optional)
- pineapples, diced, for garnishing (optional)
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F with rack on middle position. In a large bowl, mix together ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs, kosher salt, black pepper, pineapple juice, and onion powder.
- Form into 40 meatballs; place on large baking sheets. Bake 20 minutes, or just until meatballs are cooked through.
- In a saucepan off heat, combine all Sweet and Sour Sauce ingredients; whisk to ensure there is no trace of white cornstarch left, as even a tiny bit of undissolved cornstarch will cause clumps.
- Turn heat on to medium and continue to whisk until tomato paste is smooth and sauce is thickened.
- Add sauce and meatballs to the slow cooker, gently fold to coat with sauce. Cook on low setting for about 30 minutes or just long enough to warm up sauce if sauce simmers for long, it will thicken too much.
- Taste and add more kosher salt and black pepper, if needed. Switch to warm setting and serve saucy meatballs straight from slow cooker.
Notes
- Seasoned, frozen meatballs may be baked according to package instructions, and then mixed with sauce, per recipe (although homemade ones will yield the best flavor).
- Sweet and sour sauce can be made several days in advance. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.
- Stovetop Option: Add meatballs and sauce to a pot and let meatballs bring to a simmer; remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Transfer to serving dish and garnish as desired.
- Love meal prepping? These baked meatballs can be frozen for future use. Just thaw and mix with the sweet and sour sauce for a quick, delicious meal.
- This recipe is part of our Party Appetizers Collection.
- Serve these meatballs over jasmine rice or lo mein noodles for a complete meal. The sauce is so tasty, you won't want to leave any behind.
Nutrition (per serving)
Serving: 1meatball | Calories: 50kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 88mg | Fiber: 0.03g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 17IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg