Sweet and Sour Meatballs is the next recipe in my meatball series. Guys, these are SO good! Delicious spicy meatballs, chunks of pineapple and crisp, fresh veggies coated in a simple, homemade sweet and sour sauce. Serve over your favorite variety of rice and in less than 30 minutes you have a meal you’d be proud to serve to company.
If you missed the first post, “Meatballs, Scrumptious, Savory and Oh So Easy”, you’ll want to check it out. That original post teaches you how to use my favorite meatball recipe to make 126 meatballs in about an hour. That’s enough for around 5 meals, for a family of six. The post includes instructions for freezing them, too, so you’ll be able to use them in all the other great recipes, like this one.
If you’re looking for another delicious weeknight family dinner, you’re gonna love this recipe. With your pre-made meatballs, it can be on the table in under 30 minutes.
The sweet and sour sauce only requires 6 common pantry ingredients. Add meatballs and the veggies of your choice. Serve Sweet and Sour Meatballs over rice and you’ll have created a tasty Asian-style dinner that will zoom to the top of your family’s favorites!
Ingredients You’ll Need for Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- frozen meatballs (Get my Meatball recipe.)
- canned pineapple chunks
- brown sugar
- cornstarch
- soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
- beef stock
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- veggies of your choice (I used bell peppers, celery, red onion and zucchini)
How to Make Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Pull 24–30 meatballs out of your freezer stash. They don’t need to thaw. Just have them handy, since the recipe goes together quickly.
Start the sauce by dumping the pineapple into a 12″ cast iron skillet and turning the heat on to medium.
In a small bowl, whisk together the beef broth, soy sauce and the lemon juice and zest. Don’t heat this, yet. It needs to be cold, to dissolve the cornstarch in.
Add the cornstarch to the liquids in your bowl and continue whisking until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Then, pour the mixture into the skillet with the pineapple and stir to combine. It will begin to bubble and thicken in just 1 or 2 minutes.
Now, toss the meatballs into your sauce and turn the heat down to low. Let the meatballs and sauce simmer long enough for the meatballs to be heated through (about 10 minutes).
Add the fresh veggies to the skillet, stir to make sure everything is evenly coated and continue to simmer another 2–5 minutes. Cook long enough for the vegetables to be hot and to allow them to get to your desired degree of tenderness.
How to Serve Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Serve Sweet and Sour Meatballs over your favorite rice: white, brown, wild or even cauliflower. (For the fastest meal, I start a pot of Minute Rice immediately after adding the meatballs to the sauce. The timing is perfect for it to be done, just as the meatballs are ready to serve.)
I’ll bet you had no idea meatballs could be so versatile and a great time-saver when making weeknight suppers. Be sure to check out Meatballs in Brown Gravy, too. It’s a comfort food dynamo!
Enjoy some time, this weekend, cooking and sharing a meal with your family. Laugh, enjoy conversation and make some memories. Be blessed, Friend!
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6-7 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks in juice
- 3 medium bell peppers, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 small zucchini, cut into 1/8-inch thick rounds
- 1 cup of sliced celery
- 1/2 medium red onion, cut into slivers
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
- 1/2 cup beef stock
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 24-30 frozen meatballs (click the link to get my recipe)
Instructions
- Pour the pineapple, with juice, into a 12″ cast iron skillet. Set heat to medium.
- In a separate bowl, mix together beef stock, soy sauce, and lemon juice. Be sure it is all cold.
- Add the cornstarch to the cold liquids and stir until completely dissolved.
- Mix the cornstarch liquid into the pineapple and stir until smooth and beginning to thicken.
- Reduce heat to medium low.
- Add the frozen meatballs, stirring to coat them, and then let the mixture continue to simmer until the meatballs are heated through. It will only take about 10 minutes.
- Slice and chop the vegetables while the meatballs warm.
- Add the vegetables to the skillet. Give a quick stir to make sure everything is coated in the yummy sauce. Cook one or two minutes more, until the vegetables are heated through. (You can cook the veggies to your preferred softness. We like them tender-crisp and still bright in color. Cook longer if you like them soft.)
- Serve over white, brown or wild rice. I’ve even served it over cauliflower rice.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Beef, Main Dish
- Cuisine: American