I do not remember a lot of the food my maternal grandparents made. I do however clearly remember my grandmother making is these meatballs. This recipe is one I looked forward to at every holiday at my grandparents house.
These meatballs make for a perfect party or gameday appetizer. Other than the browning of the meatballs, the rest of the cooking can be done in a slow cooker which makes bringing these to someone’s house easy since they can just be plugged in to reheat.
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
These meatballs have a great tang to them and make a great appetizer for parties or sproting events. They reheat well and other than browning the meatballs, can be made in a slow cooker.
Ingredients
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 2 cups Ketchup
- 2 cups Brown Sugar
- ½ cup White or Wine Vinegar
- 2 cups Water
- 6 tbsp All Purpose Flour
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
Meatballs
- 2 lbs Ground Beef
- 1 Small Onion
- 1 Egg
- Breadcrumbs
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Add all liquid ingredients to a large stockpot over medium heat.
- Whisk flour into liquid ingredients until mostly incorporated. Some white spots are okay, as the sauce cooks, they will be absorbed.
- Lower heat and bring sauce to a low simmer.
Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Finely dice the onion.
- Add ground beef, onion, and egg to a large mixing bowl.
- Add approximately ½ cup of breadcrumbs and begin to mix the meatball mixture together. If the mixture feels too wet, add a little more breadcrumbs and keep mixing. The meatballs should feel like they want to stay together after rolling them between your hands.
- Scoop out the mixture using a #60 serving scoop or a heaping tablespoon. Roll the meatballs between your hands until they are formed into balls. Place the meatballs on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.
- Bake the meatballs in the oven at 375° for approximately 15 minutes or until browned on the outside.
- Once the meatballs are taken out of the oven add them to the sauce and cook for another 45 minutes to an hour.
Video
Notes
The sauce can be made in a slow cooker and kept warm for a few hours which makes this a great party recipe.
