Forget the frozen meatballs and whip up a fast and fresh recipe for Baked Sweet and Sour Meatballs in 30 minutes or less!
Homemade meatballs make a weekly appearance at our house and are a dinnertime favorite of both of my eating machines (read: my husband and 17-month-old!).
And a quick search for “meatballs” around here will lead you to more than six takes on good ol’ balls-o-meat.
We’ve got the classic Baked Turkey Meatballs, the handheld Baked Asian Meatball Lettuce Wraps, the takeout-fakeout Baked Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs, and now, rounding out (food pun count: 1) the lineup: Baked Sweet and Sour Meatballs.
So what separates these rotund beauties from all of their culinary cousins? A lick-the-spatula-and-your-plate homemade sweet and sour sauce that pairs perfectly with the garlicky meatballs but would work equally as well atop chicken breasts, as a dipping sauce for egg rolls or simply drizzled over white rice, if you’re into that sort of thing. #iam
Toss in a few chunks of fresh pineapple and there will be multiple candidates for President of the Clean Plate Club.
Best of all? The meatballs are baked at a high temp so they’re ready for tossing in minutes, and that means dinner is on your table in 30 minutes or less. Just add fried rice or lo mein noodles to complete your feast!
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Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey, chicken, pork or a combination
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2/3 cup minced yellow onion
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
For the sauce:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 cup diced pineapple
Instructions
Make the meatballs:
- Preheat the oven to 500°F. Grease 9x13 baking dish or mini muffin pan with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and milk and let sit for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, garlic, onion, egg, salt, pepper and breadcrumb mixture, mixing with your hands just until combined.
- Using your hands, break off 2 or 3 tablespoons of the meat mixture and roll it into a ball. Arrange the meatballs in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.
- Bake the meatballs for 12 to 15 minutes or until they are cooked through. While the meatballs bake, make the sauce.
Make the sauce:
- Add the olive oil to a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat. Once the oil it hot, add the minced garlic and cook, stirring, until golden brown.
- Whisk in the pineapple juice, ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce and cornstarch mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked meatballs to a large bowl then add the diced pineapple. Add the prepared sauce and toss to combined. Serve immediately.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
Your recipes are excellent and easy to follow. How many times have I found an online recipe that just didn’t quite work out. So happy I found you :o) we LOVE these. I have a feeling it will become one of our go-to recipes!
Love reading this, Paula! I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying Just a Taste!
Looking for an easy appetizer to bring to a potluck Found this online. Very easy and delicious. The only addition I made was to add 1 TBSN of distilled white vinegar to give the sauce more of a sour taste. Am making it again tonight for dinner to serve over white rice. Definite keeper!! Thank you so much!
You are so welcome, Linda! I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe!
Definitely making these! So excited. Do you use plain or seasoned breadcrumbs? :)
I use plain, but feel free to use whatever you have in your pantry!
Amazing! My family loved it! I added green and red peppers to the sauce and served over a bed of white rice.
I’m thrilled your family enjoyed the recipe, Tyna!
Perfect quick meal! I served it to my husband and my mom and we all loved it which rarely happens. Putting this in my rotation. Thank you.
You are so welcome, Steffanie! I’m thrilled everyone enjoyed the recipe!
This was the best sweet and sour turkey meatball recipe I have ever had! I ate it with stir fried peppers and onions over rice. It was the perfect blend of flavors. Thank you for this recipe as it took me all day to find one that looked delicious with the right blend of ingredients. I will be back to this site.
Amber
Yay! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Amber! And welcome to Just a Taste :)