Pineapple Sweet and Sour Meatballs

PINEAPPLE SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS
This is one of those fast meals that I whip up when I don't have much time to spend in the kitchen. What's nice about this recipe is you can skip making the meatballs from scratch and use the frozen Italian or Swedish meatballs in the freezer. Of course, if you're feeling like Martha Stewart, then by all means, go ahead and make it from scratch. :o) I found the original recipe online but tweaked it to suit my taste. I added catsup (the sauce needed more color), lessened the brown sugar (too sweet) and vinegar (too sour), etc. That's what's good about cooking, you can change a recipe according to your taste. Here's my final (for now) recipe:


Pineapple Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Meatballs:

1 lb ground beef
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup panko or bread crumbs
1 small onion, minced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Lightly oil a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet. Mix the ingredients for the meatballs. Shape into small balls and bake for 30 mins or until fully cooked.

Pineapple Sweet and Sour Sauce:
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
1 med carrot, sliced thin (so it will cook quickly)
1 red bell pepper, cut into squares
1 small onion, quartered
3/4 cup pineapple juice (you can use the juice from the pineapple chunks)
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup catsup
3 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/3 cup water
salt if needed

While the meatballs are in the oven, prepare this sauce. In a medium sauce pan, mix pineapple juice, water and soy sauce. Bring to boil. Add the vinegar but do not mix. Bring it up to boil then mix. Add brown sugar and catsup and mix until the sugar is dissolved. Throw in the carrots, onions, pineapple and red bell pepper.
Add the cornstarch/water mixture a little at a time thoroughly mixing after each addition. Stop adding the mixture when it's at the consistency you prefer. Try the sauce and add salt to suit your taste.

You can serve the meatballs mixed in with the sauce or serve the sauce on the side. You can pair this with steamed rice or cooked pasta.

SUBSCRIBE BY EMAIL HERE