Sweet & Sour Meatballs

I remember making these several years ago for New Year's Eve with the Capeners. I remember that Shelley and I thought it would be awesome to make our own meatballs. Awesome? Not so much. I just remember that it took a long time and we wished that we had just bought them pre-made.

This year for New Year's I dug out the recipe again. This time I was smart and bought a giant bag of meatballs at Sam's.

They turned out great! So great, actually, that I've made them four times since the first of January for various activities and they have been an absolute hit! They are a mainstay in our family now!

I've shared the recipe just how it is shown on allrecipes.com. But remember I do not make the meatballs... if you want to make them, knock yourself out!

Ingredients

For meatballs:

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2teaspoons granulated sugar

For sauce:

1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained with juice reserved
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
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

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a large, shallow baking sheet.

For meatballs:

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs and onion. Sprinkle with ginger, seasoning salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and sugar. Shape into one inch balls.
Place meatballs in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes; set aside.

For sauce:
Mix enough water with the reserved pineapple juice to make 1 cup. In a large pot over medium heat, combine the juice mixture, 1/3 cup water, vinegar, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Stir in cornstarch, ginger and seasoning salt, until smooth. Cover and cook until thickened.
Stir pineapple chunks, carrot, green pepper and meatballs into the sauce. Gently stir to coat the meatballs with the sauce. Simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked.