Recipe: Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Slow cooker sweet and sour meatballs are cooked and served straight from the the slow cooker, and are a potluck favorite.
Serves6 to 10
Makes45 meatballs
Show up at your next potluck with a big pot of meatballs, swimming in a glossy sweet and tangy sauce, and everyone’s going to be excited. That’s just what meatballs have the power to do.
They’re simmered and served from the slow cooker, which can be plopped down on the appetizer table next to the cheese and crackers, or served up as a main course.
An Easy One-Pot Potluck Favorite
Making meatballs in the slow cooker means everything comes together in a single pot that can go straight from your kitchen to the potluck table. The sweet and sour sauce comes together with pantry ingredients and is whisked together right in the bowl of the slow cooker. It starts cooking while you mix and shape the meatballs to build a thicker consistency. Then once the meatballs are rolled, you add them to the sauce in the slow cooker.
The meatballs won’t be fully submerged at first, and that’s okay. Give them a gentle stir and spoon some sauce over top, and as they cook they’ll sink down and eventually be surrounded by the sauce.
Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Slow cooker sweet and sour meatballs are cooked and served straight from the the slow cooker, and are a potluck favorite.
Makes45 meatballs
Serves6 to 10
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1/4 cup
cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons
water
- 1 cup
unsweetened pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup
rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons
soy sauce or tamari
- 1/4 cup
ketchup
- 1/4 cup
packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 large
yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large
red or green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
For the meatballs:
- 1
large egg
- 1/2 cup
panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup
whole or 2% milk
- 2 teaspoons
kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon
ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds
lean ground beef
- 1/2 large
yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves
garlic, minced
- 2
medium scallions (green parts only), thinly sliced
Instructions
Make the sauce:
Place the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and whisk until completely dissolved. Transfer to a 5-quart or large slow cooker. Add the pineapple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, and brown sugar and stir to combine. Add the onion and bell pepper and stir to combine. Cover and turn on to the LOW setting while you make the meatballs.
Make the meatballs:
Whisk the egg in a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, milk, salt, ginger, and pepper and stir to combine. Add the ground beef, onion, and garlic. Use your fingers to work the mixture together just until all the ingredients are evenly combined. Do not overwork.
Scoop out about a tablespoon of the meatball mixture and roll into balls in palm of your hands. Place in the slow cooker. Repeat until all the meatballs have been shaped. The meatballs will not be completely submerged with the sauce. Gently stir and scoop a little sauce over the top so that they're coated.
Cover the slow cooker and cook until the meatballs are no longer pink at the center, 3 to 4 hours on the LOW setting. Gently stir, top with the scallions, and serve warm.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: The meatballs can be mixed and shaped up to 1 day in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Storage: Leftovers will keep for up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.