Recipe—Sweet and Sour Meatballs

I have always been a lover of Chinese food. I mean come on, who isn’t? I remember as a kid that whenever we went out to eat Chinese food or ordered it to go that we got sweet and sour pork. I just love the tangy sweet sauce and the pineapple. Oh, that sweet yummy caramelized pineapple! When I saw this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Recipes Happen, I knew I had to give it a try.  I LOVE Chinese food and I LOVE meatballs! This recipe turned out awesome and was enjoyed by the whole family. My husband even went back for thirds! (I don’t know where that guy stores all the food he can consume.) I highly recommend serving this over white rice. It really soaks up the flavors of the sauce. We will certainly be making this again and again because it was super easy and absolutely delicious! Thanks Bonnie for posting this wonderful recipe, my family and I loved it!

Note: Bonnie’s recipe calls for breadcrumbs but I adapted it slightly and used panko since I had it on hand and I thought it went well with the Asian inspired dish. I bet this would also be great made with ground turkey or chicken to help cut a few calories. 

INGREDIENTS
1 egg
1 tbsp dried onion flakes
1 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c panko
ground pepper
1 lb ground beef
20 oz can pineapple chunks
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 c sliced carrots
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water

STEPS

• Preheat oven to 350º.
• In a large mixing bowl combine the egg, dried onion, milk, ginger, salt, panko, pepper, and ground beef. (I recommend using your hands to thoroughly combine everything.)
• Shape the beef mixture into 1” balls and place in a large baking dish making sure there is space between them.
• Bake the meatballs for 30 minutes or until cooked through.
• While the meatballs are cooking drain the pineapple juice into a measuring cup and set the pineapple aside.
• If needed, add water to the juice so you have 1-cup worth of liquid.
• Pour the juice mixture into a large skillet or wok and add in the vinegar, brown sugar, and soy sauce.
• Over medium-high heat bring the liquid to a simmer and add in the carrots.
• Simmer until the carrots are just barely fork tender and then add in the bell peppers and pineapple chunks.
• Cook for approximately 4–5 minutes.
• In a small bowl mix together the cornstarch and water until smooth.
• Pour the cornstarch mixture into your skillet and stir constantly until incorporated.
• Remove the meatballs from the oven and transfer them to the skillet making sure to leave the meat drippings in the baking dish.
• Toss the meatballs to coat and simmer in the sauce for 2 minutes.
• Serve over cooked rice and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Recipes Happen.