Sweet and Sour Meatballs

5 — Votes 2 votes

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

These sweet and sour meatballs are easy to make, tender, and smothered in the most delicious homemade sweet and sour sauce. They're perfect as a party appetizer or served over rice and your favorite green veggie for a fun, filling weeknight dinner.

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Total Time55

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: Meatballs

Author: Cassy Joy Garcia

Ingredients

For the Sauce

6 ounces pineapple juice
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup ketchup
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch

For the Meatballs

2 pounds ground beef
½ cup panko bread crumbs, gluten free or regular
½ small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Whisk together the pineapple juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ketchup, and soy sauce in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then whisk together the arrowroot starch with 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Add the arrowroot mixture to the saucepan, and whisk to combine. Reduce the heat to low and remove the sauce from the heat once thickened.
Add the ground beef, panko, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper to a large bowl.
Using your hands or a spoon, mix the ground beef mixture until everything is well combined.
Roll the ground beef mixture into 2 tablespoon-sized balls and place them in a baking dish.
Pour the sweet and sour sauce over the meatballs.
Bake for 40-45 minutes. Once finished, let the meatballs cool slightly, then serve and enjoy!

Notes

Make it gluten free - opt for gluten free panko instead of regular (that's what we did!).
Use a different protein - any ground protein will work great here. Use ground chicken, ground turkey, ground pork - whichever you have on hand!

Nutrition