Lana's Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 35 min
Servings: 8
Yield: 8 servings

Description

Serve these sweet and sour meatballs with pineapple, carrots, and bell peppers served in a brown sugar sauce as a main dish, or try them as an appetizer.

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks with juice
1/4 cup water, or as needed
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 large carrot, diced
1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Directions

1 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a large rimmed baking sheet.
2 Make the meatballs: Mix ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt, ginger, and pepper together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Shape into 1-inch meatballs and place in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet.
3 Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven; meatballs will not be fully cooked.
4 Make the sauce: Pour pineapple juice into a 1-cup measure. Add 1/4 cup water, or enough to make 1 cup liquid. Set pineapple chunks aside.
5 Pour pineapple juice mixture into a large pot over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, 1/3 cup water, vinegar, and soy sauce, then stir in cornstarch, ginger, and seasoning salt. Cover and cook until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.
6 Add pineapple chunks, bell pepper, and carrot; gently stir to coat meatballs with sauce. Simmer, uncovered, until meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (71 degrees C).