Orange Pineapple Sweet and Sour Meatballs
This sweet and sour meatballs recipe with an orange-pineapple sauce is delicious served over rice as a main meal or threaded on toothpicks as an appetizer. Skip the take out and make this tasty recipe at home in about an hour.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 800kcal
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- 1 16 ounce can pineapple chunks in natural juice
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
- 1 medium orange, zested and juiced (about 1/8 cup juice)
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (or white or rice)
- 1 teaspoon tamari (or soy sauce)
- 1 cup cane sugar
Ingredients for the Meatballs:
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 1/2 inch piece ginger grated
- 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/8 teapoon salt
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium sweet red pepper cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 green onions sliced (reserve green parts for garnish)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for frying meatballs
- 3 cups cooked rice (optional)
Instructions
Directions for the Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- Separate the pineapple chunks from the pineapple juice. Reserve the pineapple chunks for later. Measure out 1/2 cup of pineapple juice, stir in the arrowroot powder to make a slurry, and set aside (this will be used to thicken the sauce later).
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the orange juice, zest, ketchup, vinegar, and tamari or soy sauce. Stir in the sugar and simmer until the sugar dissolves.
- Stir the pineapple juice and arrowroot slurry and add it to the saucepan.
- While stirring, bring the saucepan to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the sauce to cool. (Makes about 2 cups)
Directions for the Meatballs:
- Preheat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- In a large bowl, combine egg, milk, dried bread crumbs, garlic, ginger, Chinese five-spice powder, pepper, and salt. Stir to mix thoroughly. Add ground beef. Mix until combined.
- Shape the meat mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Add the meatballs to the skillet and cook until they are browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the pan. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of drippings in the pan and drain off any excess.
- Add the peppers and onion to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes. Return the meatballs to the pan. Add 1/2 cup of the sweet and sour sauce, stir to combine, and cook until the meatballs are no longer pink in center, about 5 minutes more.
- Add the reserved pineapple and green onion to the skillet, and stir to combine. Serve over rice with the remaining sweet and sour sauce. Serves 6.
Nutrition
Calories: 800kcal | Carbohydrates: 163.2g | Protein: 32.4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2.7g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 435mg | Potassium: 662mg | Fiber: 2.6g | Sugar: 13.7g | Calcium: 720mg | Iron: 3.4mg