SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS

We LOVE meatballs!! We may not have always liked them as a kid, but now that we are grown up, we can’t get enough of them!! We have all sorts of versions here on the site, including a homemade meatball version and have loved trying out different recipes with them. Sometimes we take the easy route and just buy frozen meatballs, like what we did with today’s recipe for these easy sweet and sour meatballs.

We’ve been long time fans of all things sweet and sour (if you are too, you’ll love our sweet and sour chicken recipe), and we were excited to try a meatball version. We were so happy with the result. Not only was the recipe simple, but the flavors of the meatballs, sauce, and veggies were amazing! We have a homemade sweet and sour sauce we LOVE, but this is a quicker and more simple version that we loved too!

HOW DO YOU MAKE SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS?
This recipe starts with homemade meatballs, which are a combination of lean ground beef, breadcrumbs, seasonings, onion and egg. The meat mixture is rolled into balls, then broiled until browned. The meatballs go into a crock pot along with a two ingredient sauce of grape jelly and chili sauce. Let everything simmer together for a while, and then you’ll be ready to eat!

TIPS FOR SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS

• Make sure to mince your onion finely so that there aren’t large chunks in the meatballs. Alternatively, you could grate the onion.
• You can make your meatballs as big or as small as you like. I typically go for meatballs that are about 1 inch in diameter.
• I typically make these meatballs with 90% lean ground beef, but you could use ground turkey or ground pork if you prefer.
• In a hurry? You can use frozen pre-cooked meatballs instead of homemade meatballs, but I recommend going for the homemade meatballs.
• The meatballs can be cooked up to 2 days before you plan to make this recipe. You can also make a double batch of the meatballs and freeze some for later use.

Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients

•  2 pounds ground beef
•  2 large eggs
•  1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
•  1 tsp minced garlic
•  1 tsp salt
•  1 tsp black pepper
•  1 cup of diced onion   (if you like onion in them)

Sweet and Sour Sauce

•  1 cup packed brown sugar
•  1 1/2 cups water
•  1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
•  3 tablespoons all-purpose flour or cornstarch
•  3 tablespoons soy sauce
•  1/4 cup ketchup

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 °F
2. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium sized sauce pan until fully combined. Bring to a low rolling boil, and cook until it thickens. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Combine the meatball ingredients : breadcrumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, egg, onions and ground beef together in a stand mixer bowl. Use the paddle attachment and mix on low until combined. This makes for the BEST distribution of egg and crumbs through the meat!
4. Roll the meat mixture into meatballs, whichever size you want. I prefer slightly larger ones, they don’t dry out as quickly. 
5. Pop them into the 375 degrees oven and start them cooking.
6. After about 20 minutes, take the meatballs out for a second, and drain the fat out of them.
7. Now you can cover those meatballs up with sauce. Pour the sauce over the meatball, covering them completely.
8. Finish cooking them until done, and they look oh-so saucy and delicious. This can take up to another 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your meatballs.
9. When cooking meatballs I like to insert a thermometer in them and make sure they have reached a temp of at least 165 degrees. With all the beef recalls lately, it’s far better safe than sorry!
10. I love sweet and sour meatballs on rice, especially bad-for-you, white rice! Serve with the side of your choice.

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