S is for Sweet and Sour Meatballs

When hearing the word "meatball," most people think of towering piles of spaghetti or sloppy sandwiches smothered in marinara.  Some might picture cocktail toothpicks and saucy meatball bites at a reception.  The meatballs of my childhood weren't Italian, sandwiched, or on a toothpick.  My mom used to make sweet and sour meatballs with pineapple and green peppers and serve it over rice.  The sauce is sweet and sticky and perfectly perfect.  Once the meatballs and fruit chunks are gone, you'll want to scrape the plate free of the gooey goodness.   

This was always one of my favorite dinners at home, but it hasn't quite made the rankings for family favorites.  It's delicious and relatively simple, but this dish just doesn't come to my mind like spaghetti and meatballs, grilled chicken, or other dinner classics.  Since I just made a special trip to Richmond to visit my family, my mom blew the dust off this recipe card and whipped up some sweet and sour meatballs for my birthday dinner.  She served the dish with wild rice and a fruit salad and it was a very satisfying meal.   

I'm sure this recipe would work with ground turkey or chicken if you'd rather not use beef.  You can also make the sauce and serve it over baked chicken breasts and rice instead of making meatballs.  If I were making this dish at home, I'd use Splenda baking mix instead of 1/4 c. sugar and I'd use low sodium soy sauce.  This dish can be made ahead and frozen for later use.  

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Meatballs

1 lb. ground beef

1/4 c. dry bread crumbs

2 Tbsp. chopped onion

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp. oil (vegetable or canola)

Make the meatballs by mixing the ingredients in a large bowl and rolling 1" balls.  Brown in 1 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil.  Remove from pan and pour out the drippings.  

Sauce

1/4 c. sugar

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. vinegar

1/2 c. water

1/2 c. reserved pineapple juice/syrup

1-2 green peppers, sliced

1 1/4 c. drained pineapple chunks

Combine sugar and cornstarch in frying pan.  Stir in soy sauce, water, vinegar, and syrup.  Cook on medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and boils.  Add green pepper, pineapple, and meatballs.  Lower the temperature to medium-low.  Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.