Sweet And Sour Meatballs

Friday, August 28, 2015
An easy recipe for Sweet and Sour Meatballs in a delicious flavorful sauce that makes a delicious dinner or a delicious party snack. It's an easy flavorful version of the beloved Chinese takeout classic and a great appetizer.
 
A side shot of a black plate filled with Sweet and Sour Meatballs with a large scoop of white rice in the background to the left side on a black saucer.

Praise the Lord it's Friday! Are you ready for the weekend? 

You should make these Sweet and Sour Meatballs this weekend and then be prepared to make them again next week because your family will be begging for more.

Trust me, I've already been down that road.

Just double up the meatball batch and freeze half the meatballs for later in the week. 

I've had meatballs on my mind for the last week or two since the weathers started to cool a little. I can't seem to stop thinking about all the ways I love meatballs so I decided it was time to share the recipe for these Sweet and Sour Meatballs. 

I can't believe how many times I just said, "Meatballs!"

I was hoping to have enough leftovers to hide for lunch the next day but there was no such luck between Colt and the kids they were devoured.

The secret to these Sweet and Sour Meatballs is in the easy sauce. After a lot of trial and error over the years I've developed the perfect balance of salty, sweet and sour. Even Mas who proclaims to not eat cooked pineapple and was disappointed when he saw I hadn't set any aside had cleaned his plate without another peep.

If your short on time the meatballs can all be rolled ahead of time and frozen until ready to cook since  they spend a little time in the freezer anyways to help maintain their shape while cooking. 

The worst thing about these Sweet and Sour Meatballs maybe the fight at the dinner table for seconds.
Ground Beef, Ground Pork, Panko Bread Crumbs, 1 Egg, Minced Garlic, Soy Sauce, Toasted Sesame Seed Oil and Granulated Garlic in a stainless steel bowl.


In a large bowl combined: 
  • 3/4 pound Lean Ground Beef
  • 3/4 pound Ground Pork
  • 1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
  • 1 whole Egg
  • 2 cloves Minced Garlic
  • 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Toasted Sesame Seed Oil
  • 1 teaspoon Granulated Garlic

Mix together with hands until ingredients are evenly distributed. If touching meat makes you squeamish use a pair of disposable gloves.

Rolled Meatballs on a piece of parchment paper.

Roll 30 meatballs into two inch balls and place on parchment paper.

Freeze for 15 minutes or until ready to use.This helps meatballs retain their shape while cooking.

Corn Starch, Brown Sugar, and Ketchup in a stainless steel bowl for sweet and sour sauce.

For the Sweet and Sour Sauce mix together: 
  • 1/4 cup Ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Cornstarch 
Until well combined and smooth. Then stir in:
  • 1/4 cup Natural Rice Vinegar
  • 1/4 cup Sweet Chili Sauce (I like Mae Ploy)
  • 1 cup Beef Stock
  • 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce.

Mix together until smooth and well combined.

Brown Meatballs in a cast iron pan for Sweet and Sour Meatballs.

Add 1 tablespoon Olive Oil to a heavy duty skillet and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add meatballs and brown on all sides.

Drain off excessive grease leaving about a tablespoon of oil.

A cast iron pan filled with browned meatballs, chopped onion, chopped green bell pepper, chopped red bell pepper, and cubed fresh pineapple.

Stir in: 
  • 1 whole Chopped Onion
  • 1 whole Chopped Green Bell Pepper
  • 1 whole Chopped Red Bell Pepper
  •  1 whole Fresh Pineapple Core Removed and Cubed
Cook until onions start to soften.

Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce being poured over meatballs, bell peppers, and pineapple in a cast iron skillet.

Pour Sweet and Sour Sauce over veggies and gently stir to coat.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs in a cast iron pan.

Cover pan and turn heat to medium-low cook for 15 minutes or until sauce is thickened and meatballs are thoroughly cooked.

A down shot of Sweet and Sour Meatballs in a cast iron pan with a white kitchen towel with red stripes at the bottom under the left hand side of the pan.

Now tell me that's not saucy deliciousness! Sweet and Sour Meatballs is a favorite Chinese Takeout recipe.

A down shot of Sweet and Sour Meatballs with a bowl of white rice in the top left corner.

Now if your house is anything like mine try to make sure you divide the meatballs evenly between the plates because after everyone takes a bite they'll start counting how many meatballs they have on their plate compared to the person next to them..

Garnish with fresh sliced Green Onions and serve with Rice.

You might also love these other recipes:
Other Asian Takeout recipes we love:



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Dinner, Appetizer Super Bowl, Tailgating, Parties
Chinese
Yield: 6
Author: Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

An easy recipe for Sweet and Sour Meatballs in a delicious flavorful sauce that makes a delicious dinner or a delicious party snack. It's an easy flavorful version of the beloved Chinese takeout classic and a great appetizer.
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Ingredients

Meatballs
  • 3/4 pound Ground Beef
  • 3/4 pound Ground Pork
  • 1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
  • 1 whole Egg, Beaten
  • 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
  • 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Toasted Sesame Seed Oil
  • 1 teaspoon Granulated Garlic
Easy Sweet and Sour Sauce
  • 1/4 cup Ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup Natural Rice Vinegar
  • 1/4 cup Sweet Chili Sauce (I like Mae Ploy Brand)
  • 1 cup Beef Stock
  • 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Cook Sweet and Sour Meatballs
  • 1 whole Onion, Peeled and Chopped
  • 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeds Removed and Chopped
  • 1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Seeds Removed and Chopped
  • 1 whole Pineapple, Skin Removed, Cored and Diced

Instructions

How to make Sweet and Sour Meatballs
  1. In a large bowl mix together ground beef, ground pork, panko bread crumbs, egg, garlic, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sesame seed oil and granulated garlic until well combined.
  2. Roll 30 meatballs into approximately 2 inch balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze meatballs for 15 minutes or until ready to use to help hold their shape.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
  1. In a medium sized bowl stir together ketchup, brown sugar and cornstarch until smooth and well combined. Then add rice vinegar, sweet chili sauce, beef stock and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Whisk together until well combined.
How To Cook Sweet and Sour Meatballs
  1. In a large skillet with a lid heat olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add meatballs and brown meatballs on all sides.
  2. Add onions, bell peppers, and pineapple. Cook until onions start to soften.
  3. Pour sweet and sour sauce over veggies and gently stir to coat.
  4. Bring to a simmer, cover pan and turn heat to medium-low cook for 15 minutes or until sauce is thickened and meatballs are thoroughly cooked.
  5. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve with rice or as an appetizer.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

527.72 kcal

Fat

29.39 g

Sat. Fat

9.8 g

Carbs

43.1 g

Fiber

3.62 g

Net carbs

39.46 g

Sugar

28.72 g

Protein

24.05 g

Sodium

733.77 mg

Cholesterol

108.36 mg

Calories are estimated.

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A side photo of Sweet and Sour Meatballs with bell pepper and pineapple on a black plate. White text at the top of the photo Sweet and Sour Meatballs.
2 photos. The top photo is a down shot of Sweet and Sour Meatballs with Bell Pepper and Pineapple on a black plate. The bottom photo is of Sweet and Sour Meatballs in a Cast Iron Skillet. There is a white banner between the two photos with black text Sweet and Sour Meatballs.

4 comments

  1. It's only 10:00 in the morning and I want these right now! Great job, Serena!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks delicious and I'm very curious about the sauce as well. Nee to try!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looks so good, and seems like a great combination of flavors!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This looks so good. Pinning to try.

    ReplyDelete

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