Today I thought I would share one of my go to recipes – Sweet & Sour Meatballs.
I am often at a loss with what to do with ground beef. I think it’s because I often get stuck in a rut when it comes to ground meat. I usually opt for the standard burger, meatloaf, or taco preparation. I get bored of those really quick so when I want a change of pace I look to meatballs.
The meatball recipe I am sharing is very versatile. Paired with a marinara these are great in spaghetti or you can pop them on a hoagie with lots of melted cheese. I also use this recipe in my soups and stews. When I need something quick and easy I opt for the sweet and sour version. I can usually start the meatballs then put on a pot of rice and have dinner on the table in about 30 minutes.
The sauce is really the key to this recipe. Instead of twisting open a jar of sweet and sour sauce, why not make your own. I think you will find that my recipe is a great balance of sweet and sour…and I bet you have all ingredients.
Next time you are staring at a package of ground beef, give this recipe a try – you won’t be disappointed!
- 1.25 lb lean ground beef
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup of milk
- ¾ cup seasoned Panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup white vinegar
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- ¼ cup water
- Combine all ingredients by hand – mixing well.
- Form into 1 inch balls.
- Place on shallow baking pan.
- Bake at 375 for 25 minutes – turning once about half way through the cook time.
- Remove to paper lined plate to drain.
- Place vinegar, pineapple juice, sugars, ketchup and soy sauce into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Mix corn starch and water and pour into boiling mixture.
- Cook for 2 minutes until thickened.
- Serve sauce over meatballs.
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Tried this recipe and it was a hit and super easy on my part, especially since I had all items on hand. Definitely will make again and am planning on making it for a holiday get togethers! We did add a little red pepper to the mine and my husband’s plate since we like some spice.
Thanks for the great and easy recipe. My 13 year old boy made this tonight and there was nothing left over. It will be making it into our rotation and I can count on it as something to continue to help him become more confident in his cooking skills!
Holy cow… this was a HIT today at my house, well, last night hahaha… super easy, had all the ingredients at home and Hubby and picky daughter and me of course, love it!! The sweet & sour sauce was so easy to make I totally agree with Denise, great for holidays get togethers. Thank you for sharing!!
just wanted to comment on the sweet n sour sauce….awesome! i did some tweaking and instead of the sugars, I used honey to sweeten (probably 1-2 T) and added 1/2 c pineapple puree. I used canned pineapple which isnt sweet at all but nicely added some fruity taste to the background. I also put 2T low salt soy sauce instead of 1/4c. I omitted the water and decreased corn starch to 1T. the sauce has great consistency and had more ‘sour’ punch than sweet which i myself prefer…but can easily sweeten by adding more honey if I do serve it to family. Thank you for such an fast, easy recipe. Looking forward to trying more recipes.