Jonesin' For Taste

Exploring the world one easy recipe at a time

Home » Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

This post contains affiliate links where I earn a small fee when purchases are made through these links. For more info see my disclosure policy.
Share
Pin
Tweet
Share
Flip
Reddit
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Sweet and sour meatballs

Sweet and sour meatballs was one of the first recipes I posted on my blog but it had no picture and I have changed the way I make it only about a thousand times. So I figured it was high time to share my new and improved recipe- this time with pictures.  I know, crazy!

This is a recipe I have adapted from my mother in law and one of my husband’s favorites.  It’s the perfect blend of sweetness and tang and the crisp veggies are a nice contrast to the soft meatballs.  Meatballs are one of my favorite ways to add in a ton of extra veggies without anyone noticing.  I finely shred a zucchini and a large carrots to add to the mix.  I also will finely chop spinach or use thawed frozen spinach and add that to the mix.

I also always use oatmeal instead of breadcrumbs or crushed crackers because of the nutritional advantage.  If you’re concerned about the texture so far no one has noticed I use oatmeal instead of breadcrumbs.  You could always grind up the oatmeal in a food processor or blender to get a finer mixture.  Generally speaking I use ground turkey versus ground beef, although that is not always the case.  And I like to bake my meatballs instead of pan frying them because I can get a big batch done at once and go ahead and get started on the sauce.  So choose what appeals more to you and go with it.

Sweet and sour meatballs

Print Pin

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Course Main
Author Jonesin' For Taste

Ingredients

  • Meatballs
  • 1 lb hamburger or ground turkey
  • 1/2 cup oatmeal
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 Tbsp chopped onion
  • 1 zucchini finely shredded
  • 1 large carrot finely shredded
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 egg use 2 eggs if using medium eggs
  • Sauce
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 20 oz cans pineapple chunks, with juice
  • 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 red bell peppers cut into thin 1 inch strips
  • 1 large onion quartered and sliced
  • Green onions and sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

  • If pan frying, cook meatballs until brown and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove from frying pan and drain fat.
  • If baking, cut a piece of parchment paper to the size of the pan. Place meatballs with a little room in between each one. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes.
  • Mix brown sugar and cornstarch in skillet. Stir in pineapple with juice, vinegar, and soy sauce. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Add meatballs and reduce to heat. Cover and summer stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Add bell peppers and onion. Cover and simmer until crisp- tender about 5 more minutes. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion, if desired.
Tried this recipe?Mention @jonesinfortaste or tag #jonesinmakers!

Share
Pin
Tweet
Share
Flip
Reddit

Comments

  2. My kids ate this up too which was awesome because they don’t always do that. I am all about making our favorite restaurant dishes at home. It just makes me feel better to know exactly what is in their food, especially if that means extra goodness for them.
    Jade recently posted…Sweet and Sour MeatballsMy Profile

    Reply

  12. These look SO good! I can’t wait to try them. 🙂 This was one of the most viewed posts from last week’s Try a New Recipe Tuesday! 🙂 Congratulations! Be sure to grab an “I’ve been featured” button from my sidebar for your blog. The new post should go live Monday morning. I hope you will be able to join us again this week.
    Lisa recently posted…Homeschool Mother’s Journal/Weekly Wrap-Up- May 31My Profile

    Reply

  17. Those look great! I love meatballs. Oddly, my kids love meat sauce, but they don’t like meatballs. If I make them with spaghetti sauce, I have to mash them up so they don’t realize what they’re eating. I wonder if they’d eat these ones. I also wonder if I could sub out the breadcrumbs for oatmeal in the recipe I use for spaghetti and meatballs. I’m realizing the making healthy changes to things the kids will already eat is the best way to introduce new, healthier options!
    Thanks for linking up with #ONENEWFOOD!!
    Lauren recently posted…#ONENEWFOOD: Whole Wheat FlourMy Profile

    Reply

    • Absolutely, revamping what they eat already is the easiest way to condition them. You could try making the meatballs smaller and baking them for a little less time. I never use breadcrumbs anymore and instead substitute oatmeal in all kinds of meatballs and meatloaf, I just did a guest post for healthy meatball subs which you could do use for spaghetti and meatballs as well. I even throw it in my smoothies just because it adds that little extra bit.

      Reply

    • That’s what I like about meatballs- you can make it with ground turkey or ground chicken. It’s better for you anyways and would appease your little one.

      Reply

Trackbacks

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

You might also like

View more recipes