Sweet and Sour Meatballs

The best Sweet and Sour Meatballs boast an irresistible sauce complete with sweet peppers, juicy pineapple, and aromatics. Serve these saucy meatballs over rice for a hearty, filling and tasty meal.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

My family adores these meatballs, a perfect blend of tender, juicy flavors with a well-balanced sauce.

We mix sugar, vinegar, and typical ingredients, along with a few “secret” additions for extra depth. These include Worcestershire sauce for umami, sesame oil for a nutty touch, and mandarin oranges for sweetness.

Ingredients

How To Make Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1. Mix ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, and seasonings for meatballs; form and cook.
2. Sauté onions, garlic, ginger, peppers, and add fruits.
3. Combine sugar, vinegar, sauces, and cornstarch mixture for the sauce; cook until thick.
4. Toss meatballs in sauce with veggies.
5. Serve hot.

Meatballs Tips

• Avoid Overmixing: Mix ingredients just until combined to keep meatballs tender.
• Keep Ingredients Cold: Cold meat and ingredients make rolling easier. Use oiled hands for easy shaping.
• Uniform Size: Roll meatballs evenly, about 1 and 1/4-inch wide, for consistent cooking. A mini cookie scoop can help.
• Use a Meat Thermometer: Ensure meatballs reach 160°F for safety and doneness.
• Grease Pan: When broiling, line and grease the pan to prevent sticking.

Pair These Sweet And Sour Meatballs With

• Roasted Asparagus
• Asian Cucumber Salad
• Roasted Broccoli
• Asian Pasta Salad
• Fruit Salad Recipe

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5 from 3 votes

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

By Chelsea Lords

Sweet and Sour Meatballs are a flavor-packed hit! Juicy meatballs in an irresistible sauce with sweet peppers, pineapple, and aromatics. Serve over rice for a hearty, delicious meal.

Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Total Time: 48 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

• Sheet pan
• Aluminum foil
• Large pan or wok

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ Cooking spray

Meatballs (see note 1)

• ▢ 2 pounds ground beef 85/15
• ▢ 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs see note 2
• ▢ 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1/4 cup coconut milk full-fat or lite
• ▢ 1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• ▢ 2 teaspoons salt
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Veggies

• ▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or canola oil
• ▢ 1/2 cup grated yellow onion grated on large holes of a grater
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh garlic grated on a fine grater
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated on a fine grater
• ▢ 3 bell peppers I use 1 red, 1 orange, and 1 green; cut into 1-inch pieces
• ▢ 1/2 cup mandarin oranges canned in juice, not syrup
• ▢ 1 cup pineapple chunks canned in juice, not syrup

Sweet and Sour Sauce

• ▢ 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons pineapple juice
• ▢ 3 tablespoons ketchup
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 1/2 cup (109g) water, whisked together with a fork
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
• ▢ Cooked rice for serving, see note 3
• ▢ Toasted sesame seeds to garnish, optional
• ▢ Thinly slices green onions to garnish, optional

Instructions 

• Heat broiler to high with the rack 4 inches from the heating element. Line a sheet pan with foil and generously grease with cooking spray.
• Peel the outer layer of onion and grate to get 1/2 cup grated onion. Peel garlic and ginger on a fine grater to get 1 teaspoon of each. Cut bell peppers into 1-inch pieces. Measure out 1/2 cup mandarin oranges (spoon both the oranges and juices into a 1/2 cup measuring cup). Drain out 1 cup pineapple chunks, reserving 3 tablespoons juice for the sauce.
• Meatballs: Combine the meatball ingredients. Mix with your hands until just combined; rub a little oil on your hands (or spritz with cooking spray), then roll meat mixture into meatballs (1 and 1/2 tablespoons in size; about 30–32 meatballs). Place rolled meatballs on the prepared sheet pan and drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil. Place in oven and broil, flipping meatballs every 2 minutes until cooked through (until a meat thermometer reads 160°F). This takes 4–8 minutes (5–6 minutes in my oven). Start checking temperature at 4 minutes.
• Veggies: Meanwhile, add the 1 tablespoon oil to a large pan or wok over medium heat. Once hot, add grated onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, 2–3 minutes. Add chopped bell peppers and stir 4–6 minutes or until mostly crisp tender.
• Sauce: With the veggies, add sugar, rice vinegar, pineapple juice, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and mandarin oranges with juices. Mix to combine and slightly smash oranges. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Pour cornstarch slurry into the sauce while whisking constantly. Bring to a rapid simmer and simmer 1–2 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer another 1–2 minutes or until sufficiently thickened. Stir through pineapple chunks. Remove from heat and stir in sesame oil.
• Place meatballs over cooked white rice (see note 3). Generously spoon sauce and veggies over the meatballs. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions if desired. Enjoy immediately.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: If you want very saucy meatballs, I recommend halving the meatball quantities in half.

Note 2: Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb and is usually found near other breadcrumbs or in the Asian food aisle of your store.

Note 3: I love basmati rice best with Sweet and Sour Meatballs. Here’s how I prepare it for this dish:

• Measure rice and rinse it in a fine-mesh sieve until the water runs clear.
• Place rice in a bowl and cover with water to soak about 5–10 minutes.
• While rice is soaking, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.
• Once water is at a rolling boil, drain rice and add it to the pot.
• Cook without reducing heat, 5 minutes (taste and test to make sure it is tender; if not, add 1–2 more minutes), then drain and fluff with a fork.

Storage: Store the sauce, meatballs, and rice separately. Each will stay good for 4–5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 909kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 201mg | Sodium: 865mg | Potassium: 1203mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 3150IU | Vitamin C: 130mg | Calcium: 149mg | Iron: 8mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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