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  • Sweet and Sour Meatballs

    1 vote
    Sweet and Sour Meatballs
    Prep: 35 min Cook: 25 min Servings: 12
    by Salad Foodie
    406 recipes
    >
    I served this at an informal dinner as mini-cocktail meatballs (1" size) but in a sweet and sour sauce, rather than barbecue, and everyone loved them. Next time they will be made into larger ones as an entree served with rice. I like the combination of meats in making meatloaf or meatballs, and ground turkey or chicken would be a good choice to sub for beef or pork to reduce the fat. Baking is the no-brainer cooking method for meatballs in my book, but of course go the skillet route if you don’t want to heat the kitchen up. A good make-ahead recipe, as leftovers freeze well, so one full recipe would make one dinner for immediate use and one to freeze.

    Ingredients

    • MEATBALLS:
    • 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef (85% to 93% would be good)
    • 1 pound pork sausage
    • 1 cup dry seasoned breadcrumbs
    • ½ cup milk
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • ½ cup finely chopped onion
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • 2 eggs
    • SWEET & SOUR SAUCE:
    • 1 cup brown sugar
    • 1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice, drained and juice reserved
    • 2/3 cup white vinegar
    • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
    • ½ cup finely chopped green bell pepper

    Directions

    1. MEATBALLS:
    2. Arrange 2 oven racks, dividing oven into thirds so there will be even distance from heat at top and bottom. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
    3. In large bowl mix all meatball ingredients.
    4. Shape into 100 mini-size meatballs 1-inch diameter size (or shape into about 60 1½-inch size meatballs for entree size.)
    5. Arrange meatballs in 2 ungreased 12" x 18" baking sheets (jelly roll pans).
    6. Bake uncovered on separate oven racks for 15-20 minutes (for mini-meatballs), or for 20-25 minutes (for entree size) switching trays half way through baking time to prevent burning. Meatballs should no longer be pink in middle, and should read 160 degrees with thermometer inserted in middle.
    7. Remove meatballs from baking sheets and add to prepared sweet and sour sauce; serve immediately.
    8. SWEET & SOUR SAUCE:
    9. In large saucepan mix brown sugar and cornstarch. (I used a 12" electric skillet buffet server to both cook sauce and serve with meatballs - see photo.)
    10. Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to measure 1 cup; stir into sugar mixture. Stir in vinegar and soy sauce.
    11. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir one minute. Reduce heat, stir in pineapple and bell pepper and cook simmering for one additional minute.
    12. Add baked meatballs, coating evenly, and serve.
    13. YIELD: 100 mini-meatballs served as cocktail appetizers will serve about 25 guests (4 meatballs p/person.) For 60 1½-inch entree meatballs, figure 12 servings (5 meatballs p/person.)

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    Comments

    • Jason Brooks
      Jason Brooks
      How much corn starch do you use? The corn starch isn't listed in the ingredients. :)
      1 reply
      • Salad Foodie
        Salad Foodie
        Whoops - I didn't realize I left out the cornstarch measurement! Without having access to the original recipe right now (I am on vacation) I will give the eHow.com formula of 1 tablespoon cornstarch for each cup of liquid.Therefore in this recipe the pineapple juice, water, vinegar and soy sauce measure close to 2 cups, so 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch would be sufficient to thicken. I will correct the recipe sometime soon. Thanks for pointing this out!
      • ShaleeDP
        ShaleeDP
        Meatballs are normally in the kiddie favorite list. This is another version that I think the adults would enjoy much as well.-

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