Sweet and Sour Beef Meatballs Recipe
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12/28/2007
I make a similar Sweet and sour meatball. I find that adding 1/4c of ketchup really adds a tangy flavour that this recipe seemed to lack . I also substitute flour with cornstarch. It gives the meatballs a beautiful glazed effect.
01/09/2006
I made the sauce, substituting the pineapple juice for water and cutting the brown sugar in half. I also added about 1/4 - 1/2 tsp of dry mustard, for a little twang. I cheated a little and used store bought frozen meatballs that were heated in the oven. Threw the meatballs in a crockpot, threw the cooked sauce over it and let it hang out for an hour. It was a hit with everyone, including teenagers!
05/13/2012
OK, so I'm giving this 5 stars, but that's with a lot of changes. I made them as appetizers for a shower, kept them small and put toothpicks in them for easy pick up from a baking pan. I made the recipe with 3# turkey meat (increasing all the other ingredients X3 of course) and made about 55 meatballs. I spent a lot of time reading MANY of the reviews and this is what I came up with. PEOPLE SAID: Add onion soup mix to meat--did that Bake instead of fry the meat--did that Cut sugar in 1/2--did that Cut soy sauce in 1/2--did that Use cornstarch instead of flour--did that Add pineapple to sauce--did that (1/2 can fruit) with all the juice added to the water Add red pepper to sauce--did that Add ketchup--Used General Tsao Sauce instead of ketchup. They turned out great. Made them a day ahead and put them in the oven to warm before serving. The only thing that I think I'll do different (even though people disagreed) is to add some General Tsao's right into the meat as well as to the sauce. I think it would add to the flavor. Hope this condensed version of comments will help keep you from spending a lot of time searching.
02/09/2003
This was terrific. The only changes I made was to use about 1/4 cup of onion flakes instead of regular onion and I almost doubled the recipe. I still did not have any leftovers. My kids loved it. I also cooked my meatballs first in the oven for 20 minutes to keep them from breaking apart and then I don't have to watch them. Much easier that way.
03/29/2003
I was looking for something different to make with hamburger. This was an excellent change of pace. I served it over white rice and with a tossed salad. I added some drained crushed pineapple to the sauce for a little extra flavor. I also browned the meatballs and then placed them in a casserole and covered them with the sauce and baked at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes covered with aluminum foil.
05/18/2002
Making the meatballs I added bread pieces soaked in milk instead of bread crumbs and added an additional egg. With the sauce I used apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar. Chicken broth instead of water. To top it off added pineapple chunks and green onion to garnish. It was exceptionally delicious, the sauce is also excellent for spareribs and chicken.
04/11/2001
This sweet and sour recipe was excellent! I've tried many, this one is a keeper. It was also nice to have beef with sweet and sour instead of chicken or pork always. I will be making this sauce for lots of things besides these meatballs.
01/25/2011
A very good recipe. I seasoned my meatballs more to my taste, though. This recipe called for no salt or other seasonings for the meatballs! I did double the sauce ( we like a lot) but I only did 1 and half cups of brown sugar (not the full 2 cups) and it was plenty sweet. A very good recipe. I also added a little ketchup and used cornstarch instead of flour to thicken.
02/08/2006
After frying the meatballs and thickening the sauce,I placed the cooked meatballs in the oven to complete the cooking process. These meatballs certainly live up to their name. Absolutely delectable.
08/20/2002
My husband enjoys food but rarely comments on a meal unless I ask his opinion. First bite of these meatballs, he commented on how great they were! They were so quick and easy and I'm sure will make great leftovers. Thanks!!
02/03/2011
These are easy to make and pretty good, but too sweet for my taste. I even cut the sugar almost in half, although I added 1/4 c. ketchup. Also there was too much onion even though I used a very small onion. I baked the meatballs at 350 for about 25 minutes and simmered them in the sauce for only about 10 minutes. I will make these again but with less sugar and onion, and I think they'd be good with some spice to them.
05/24/2010
This recipe turned out great! I added orange zest to the beef mixture and ketchup to the sauce. I also cooked the rice with chicken stock and orange juice and it all came together fabulously garnished with orange zest!
11/28/2010
I made 2 pans of these meatballs for Thanksgiving. Let me tell u, my husband couldnt stop picking at them before we left and everyone kept asking who cooked the meatballs. I love the sauce and it was sooooo easy for someone who doesnt cook. I was so happy I chose this recipe to try for Thanksgiving. I read the reviews and added a little bit of ketchup but honestly I think it was fine the way it was. Thank u soo much for sharing will definitely be making this again.
11/29/2002
This recipe was great although I found it to be a little more sweet than sour. I chose to add some garlic to the sauce and used ground chicken instead of beef. Overall a great recipe.
12/14/2009
The whole time I was eating this I was humming "mmmmmm". Thats how good this was. I did add some mustard to the meatballs, Put in oven for 10 mins. Than to sauce I cut the sugar in half, added 1/4 ketchup, only used a cup of water and used cider vinegar instead of white. Had this with jasmine rice which the sauce went prefect with and broccoli.
12/28/2002
I actually used this recipe for the meatball sauce. It was really yummy with the perfect amount of tanginess.
07/19/2010
Although this recipe is super easy, it is not really great. It was fine, but I will not make it again.
01/28/2009
This is a regular in our house, my husband loves it, my son loves it and I love it! This recipe tastes great and I usually have the ingredients on hand. I don't change a thing other than using frozen meatballs if I don't have the time to make fresh meatballs. I usually serve it with mashed potatoes and a side of vegetables, but have also used buttered noodles. YUM! Also, if there is sauce left over I freeze it to use it again later.
12/16/2010
After reading reviews that said the sauce was more sweet than sour, I decided to reduced the brown sugar to 1/2 cup, substituted 1/4 cup of water for pineapple juice and added about 2 tbls of ketchup. It had just the right amount of sweetness. My 4 kids (13,11,9,6) usually don't like new recipes and can be very picky...but they ALL ate their meatballs up quickly and said they were a thumbs yummy! I agree! Thanks!
11/16/2008
These were absolutely wonderful! My 11 yr. old daughter helped make them so it is pretty easy to make and kid-friendly. We did have to make sure they weren't larger than golf-ball sized. Those that were larger fell apart. The sauce is superb and paired with brown rice and a green veggie it is perfect. DH is pretty picky and he asked to have these again. Thank you for the keeper recipe!
02/18/2010
a good recipe for when you are low on groceries. i added a some ground ginger and ketchup to the sauce because i felt it needed a little something more. a good recipe for picky eaters that enjoy sweet and sour but usually pick around pineapple. i will try this again w/ green peppers and onions next time. i served this over rice w/ Chinese Broccoli Slaw as a side ( a great way to sneak broccoli in for picky eaters, BTW)
05/11/2010
I thought this was delicious! I took the advice of a few previous "reviewers" and added 1/4 cup ketchup and baked the meatballs in the oven for 20 minutes prior to adding them to the sauce. I would definitely make this again!
11/02/2009
i cooked this for my uncle, and he couldnt get enough! when he came home from work the next day he said "it tasted even better for lunch!".i love this recipe too. before i browned the meatballs i stuck them in the oven at 350/375-depends on the oven-for twenty minutes. i found that even though white rice is a nice balance, if you dont like super sweet things, balance it out with pinapple (canned or fresh, anything will do). other than that a wonderful recipe. put it over rice with some pinapple and bon apiteite!
05/15/2002
I was searching for a meatball recipe to try out. I read all the great reviews about this one and decided to try it out. I wasn't sure how the brown sugar/vinegar combo would turn out. It was great! This one is definitely a keeper. Thanks.
08/11/2002
The only change I made to this recipe was I did not use an entire onion, I used about half. Other then that I followed the recipe exactly as written and I absolutely love it. I will be making this again. Thanks for submitting.
08/27/2011
I combined the sauce ingredients in a crock pot on high before I began the meatballs and added the them to the sauce for about an hour. I forgot to add the soy sauce, but they turned out great. Easy recipe and nice alternative to the jelly/ chili sauce recipe.
04/03/2009
Added half a can of crushed pineapple to sauce, 1/4cup ketchup,and all the juice from the canned pineapple(1/2cup) with 1cup water. Excellent and will make again! Think I prefer littler meatballs though, so will make half sized ones next time. Ty!
07/29/2010
I cheated & used frozen meatballs. I used the exact recipe for the sauce & it was DELICIOUS!
01/11/2011
these were very good. i had trouble with the sauce being too watery and separated in my crock pot so i poured the mixture onto the stove for a hot second and boiled it, that did the trick. it thickened right up and had a perfect shine (i followed someone else's sugg to use cornstarch instead for the beautiful glossy sause)
10/10/2010
Incredibly easy to make and tasty!
01/03/2011
I took some tips from Dianne and only used 1/2 cup brown sugar and added in some ketchup. I put these into my slow cooker and poured the sauce over. I cooked it on high for 1 hour and then on low for about 8 more hours. The meatballs were so tender and moist and full of the flavor from the sauce. So tasty - everyone loved them!
04/16/2002
We had this for dinner tonight - it was awesome!!! I was afraid the sauce would be either too sweet or too vinegary, but it was just right. Very savory and not too sweet! The sauce was excellent over rice. - Allison
02/20/2011
Very good and very easy to make....I made them with ground turkey...they were wonderful!!
01/04/2008
yum great recipe they could be made smaller for appetizer size or larger and served over egg noodles fresh parsley might be nice to i will look forward to making this again to share with friends
02/16/2007
I liked these. I thought the sauce was a little too thin, so I added some cornstarch, which still didn't quite get to my idea of "saucy," it was more "brothy." I liked the taste though, and the next day ate the leftovers with rice- definitely better overnight. Thanks!
12/29/2011
Followed recipe except I used ground venison. Delicious!! Thank you for sharing. A+
05/06/2006
After reading reviews, I decided to make the balls smaller sized too. They worked out very nice! Very delicious! I think that these meatballs would also work well with Spaghetti - simmered in a tomato sauce instead of the Sweet and Sour. I took your suggestion and served it with rice and asian stir-fry vegetables, worked out pretty well, even the kids liked it =) Next time I will use less onion - and dice it up much smaller. There was so much onion that the meatballs had a hard time sticking together, and the "diced" pieces also made it harder to keep together. Am still very pleased with the taste, will use this recipe again! Thanks!
03/27/2008
I'm a little torn on my review.....I decided to follow suggestions of others who added ketchup & worchestschire sauce & cornstarch instead of flour. The cornstarch was a terrific idea......while the ketchup & worchestschire sauce was a horrible, HORRIBLE idea!!! I'll try this again in a few weeks with the original recipe. I also used premade meatballs.
12/28/2010
I've never had sweet and sour meatballs that were this sweet. Will make again, but definitely using 1/2 cup brown sugar instead of full cup.
12/28/2010
This recipe was quick and easy to make, and came out VERY delicious. Rather than deep fry my meatballs I baked them at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. I have never made sweet and sour meatballs before, but these turned out great!!!
10/13/2010
good shtuff!
07/18/2010
Amazing. Sweet, but wonderful! I didn't change a thing.
07/25/2010
This recipe was super easy, even my husband can make 'em. I used ground organic turkey. Yum.
10/05/2010
This turned out really well. I served it over white rice with stir fried vegetables. Everyone loved it.
12/14/2010
Made these for small group with Margaret and Kristin. They were the best ever!
01/15/2006
These meatballs are fantastic! I serve them as an appetizer and I always double the recipe, but they still disappear in minutes. Yummy!
05/17/2006
I added a can of pineapple, undrained. It was great!!!
06/15/2007
Amazing! Thank you so much for the base recipe! I used frozen meatballs and added fresh ginger, garlic, bell peppers and pineapple tidbits to the sauce! Beautiful presentation!
01/05/2010
These were awesome! I was looking for something different to use with ground beef and this is definetly something to throw into dinner rotation. I almost always try the recipe as given first but after I got all sauce ing in the pot it looked a little blah, the ketchup as another person recommended was what it was missing. Sauce thickened up beautifully. Thanks for great recipe!
12/28/2010
Followed it exactly, easy, meal that made everyone happy.
01/30/2002
I found this to be simple to make and by adding sliced carrots, onions, garlic cloves and mushrooms (canned) it became a perfect company dish. I put it all in a casserole and completed it in the oven (rather than stovetop) at 325 deg. for 30 min. Served with rice it is looks, smells & tastes wonderful. Thanks, Gwen,, Calgary, Alberta,
01/16/2011
I bought extra lean ground beef fresh from the butcher's. I made the meatballs as directed but substituted a third of a package of onion soup mix for the onion. I baked the meatballs for 15 minutes at 350 instead of frying them. I think the meatballs would have been juicier if I had used regular ground beef. It's cheaper and probably would have been less dry. The sauce is the star of this recipe. The only thing I changed was that I added 1/8 of a cup of ketchup. Hubby loved it and I've been told to keep this recipe. He's very picky. I'm glad I found this recipe. This will be my only S&S sauce recipe from now on. Thanks KIMMY D.
10/12/2010
I love the simple ingredients I always have in my pantry. Thanks!
01/17/2005
I did not like these. I was supposed to be making these for my daughter's Girl Scout Banquet, and there was NO way I would have publicly admitted I made this!! Very sweet...
04/06/2010
good, not great
02/06/2011
This recipe is good, but only with a LOT of tweaks. There is way too much brown sugar; it needs to be halved at least. Otherwise you need to increase the vinegar and soy sauce. Also, ketchup is a must--a good amount of it. While it would be easy to keep this recipe if you remember the additions, it would be easier to use a different recipe.
05/09/2009
Very good. Cut sugar in half and added 1/4 cup of catchup. I doubled the recipe and served as appetizers. If you do serve them as appetizers, I would recommend putting them in a crock pot with slightly less sauce. The people at the party enjoyed them, but had a tough time finding them since there was lots of sauce.
05/13/2010
Followed recipe except used dried onion - worked great. Makes a lot of sauce!
02/06/2011
My husband rates these meatballs 4 stars. He likes than, but I felt they were too sweet. I followed the recipe exactly, but used dehydrated onion instead of fresh. I also made the meatballs smaller. The sauce is nice and thick and coats the meatballs well. I think if I added something more to the sauce it could be even better.
11/11/2009
I don't rate many recipes but had to on this one. I followed the recipe to a "T" and took to work pot luck. HUGE HIT!! Everyone loved it. Super easy to make.
09/15/2008
I made this because we had pretty much no food in the house, and I could make this without going grocery shopping. This was surprisingly tasty! I took a reviewer's suggestion and used corn starch instead of flour, and added red pepper flakes for a bit of a kick.
01/17/2009
This recipe was really good - the only drawback is that it was missing a bit of tang. The second time I made this, I added pineapple chunks, which really helped. I love having sweet and sour meatballs over rice. Also, as a side-note: I was somewhat of a novice at making meatballs - the first time I made this they kind of fell apart because the meat wasn't cold enough. So make sure the meat is nice and cold in order to have meatballs that hold their shape.
10/08/2010
So great!!! I poured the sauce and meatballs over homemade mashed potatoes. Delicious.
04/28/2011
These were really good, with a couple modifications based on recommendations from other reviewers. I'm only giving the recipe four stars because, as-written, the meatballs would be bland and the sauce would be far too sweet. I doubled the sauce (won't do that next time...made WAY too much), but only used 1-1/2 cups of brown sugar. Even then it was a tiny bit too sweet for me, but my fiance and daughter loved it. I also used corn starch instead of flour to thicken the sauce, which gave it a beautiful clear, shiny appearance instead of making it cloudy like gravy. I used ground turkey instead of beef because I always sub turkey instead of beef in ground meat recipes. I only had Italian bread crumbs on hand, but I think the seasoning in them just made things better. I did add a little salt and pepper to the meatball mixture as well. I served these over brown jasmine rice that had been cooked in chicken broth along with sesame soy ginger broccoli. My fiance, who moved in with me a few months ago and truly enjoys my cooking, said this was the best meal I've served him yet!
03/18/2010
This recipe is so easy and the taste is very impressive. It works great with homemade or frozen meatballs. Try frozen store bought meatballs with this sauce in the slow cooker for a super easy meal, and serve with rice and your favorite vegetable. I also agree with the other review that adding a touch of ketchup improves the sweet and sour flavor. Thanks for sharing.
12/27/2010
Yummy! I put them in my crockpot and they were able to stay on the table for a long period of time. I usually do the cocktail sauce/grape jelly recipe, but tried these and will do these again....much more delicious!
09/05/2010
Quick & easy. Great weeknight meal.
07/19/2009
I used prepared frozen meatballs due to time restraints. I also used 1/4 cup ketchup and substituted cornstarch for the flour. Sauce was great and held together well. I also added some mixed vegetables to the mix and had a great one pan meal!! I will definately make this again!!
02/05/2012
These were definitely good, and I will make them again, but the meatballs need more seasonings and some salt wouldn't hurt, either. The sauce was good and was perfect over rice, but something was missing. Maybe adding a little ketchup next time might help.
05/07/2003
THE best recipe for meatballs in my opinion. My hubby would eat them every night of the week if I let him...
01/16/2011
The sauce is wonderful! Will make this again. I made this with ground turkey instead. This would also be great made as mini meat balls for a party snack!!
07/20/2011
I used pre- made turkey meatballs and followed the sauce recipe as follows withthe addition of 2 tbsp. of ketchup. I also added chopped red/orange bell pepper, chopped onion and one rib of choped celery. I threw everything in a pot and let everything cook together for about thirty minutes. Served it over brown rice with a side salad. Great recipe!
03/15/2011
The vinegar was so strong in the recipe! Not very good.
01/01/2007
If made to directions...perfect! I really enjoyed these as did my family...I just omitted onion, so as my picky litte ones would eat! The meatballs were still moist and flavourful, and we had it with rice and broccoli..big hit!
01/01/2011
Awesome meatballs! I used ground chicken instead of beef. For the sauce I reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup and added about 1/4 cup ketchup. Next time I will use even less sugar, more like 1/2 cup. Definitely serve over rice to soak up the wonderful sauce. Next time I'll add some frozen veggies and call it an easy, great meal!
04/10/2003
This is really great! Next time I will cut some of the sweet. Simmering the meatballs longer only improves the taste.
12/13/2006
These were really, really good. I followed the recipe and they came out great. The right amount of sauce and the consistancy was perfect. Thanks for sharing!
01/03/2011
These are wonderful. I was a bit daring and made a triple batch. So glad I did. I would, however, next time reduce the brown sugar, by a bit. I cooked my meatballs in the oven at 400 for about 18 minutes and then added them to the sauce to simmer. We had them with white rice and steamed veggies. A wonderful dinner.
04/23/2008
made this for dinner tonight and it was delish! I baked it in the oven at 180deg for 40min and the meatballs came out perfectly. I followed some other recommendations about adding crushed pineapple and added a nice flavour. Next time I'm going to add some dried chillies as well for a little kick. will definitely be making this again. thanks for the great recipe!
12/29/2010
Yummy! Easy peasy lemon squeezy. I used some of the suggestions I found from the other reviewers and they were good, but next time I'll try the original way. :)
01/08/2012
I make my sweet and sour sauce with added ketchup as well, also add garlic powder to and the cornstarch works way better than flour. This is a huge hit in our home, everyone loves these.
03/11/2011
Yumm Yumm! I added a squirt of ketchup and Dijon mustard to the sauce. I also baked my meatballs instead of frying. I served over brown rice. I will definitely make this again.
10/30/2011
These were so good! I got full and still wanted to keep eating! my boyfriend is allergic to chicken so i'm always looking for ways to change things up this was great! i looked at previous reviews and changed tweaked the sauce by using pineapple juice instead of water, corn starch instead of flour and added 4 teaspoons of ketchup. With the meatballs i browned them a lil on both sides and to firm them a lil more i put them in a 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes then added them to the sauce and cooked about 20 minutes! So yummy over brown rice! will make again my boyfriend scraped his plate clean!!
09/13/2011
I halved the brown sugar and I still found this really sweet. I didn't really care for the flavour at all - there was nothing distinct about it. I won't make this again.
11/23/2011
This recipe deserves a 10 star rating. Don't hesitate to make it because it is that good. My husband snubbed his nose at me when he saw me making it, but as it was cooking he commented on how good it smelled. Well, it tasted 100 times better than it smelled. I used corn starch to thicken and did add in a little ketchup because after tasting it, I felt it would add in a little more kick. Served with rice and a garden salad. YUMMY. Even better the next day but do cut the meatballs in half so that they warm up completely for you.
12/21/2007
This is great but the only problem I found was the meatballs would break apart after you put them in the saucepan....best thing I would say is to brown them in the oven!!!!! Otherwise no complaints.
12/05/2005
What a hit! A very good alternative to BBQ meatballs.
12/28/2010
I changed this a little, added 2 tbsp cornstarch rather than the flour and it was delicious...a little pineapple added would be good as well for a flavor change...a good and easy to make recipe
04/11/2004
Very good. This was the second time I made it and I made a few changes. I cut the brown sugar down to 3/4 cup. Added a can of sliced mushroom and a carrot to the sauce. And used 1/4c dried chopped onion instead of a whole onion. Cooked the meatballs in the oven for 20 minutes and then brownded them. Made the sauce and then cooked the meatballs and the sauce in the oven for another 20 min.
12/06/2009
I followed the exact recipe and it turned out perfectly! I wouldn't change a thing.
02/04/2011
Having never made meatballs before this looked like a good recipe to start with! Very easy & didn't require a whole lot of ingredients. They were a little more on the sweet side then I thought they'd be, but my husband (who is an actual chef) LOVED them! Will definitely be making these again! Thanks! **Update** Made these a second time when a friend came over for dinner... his reaction "These are WAY better than even what my Grandmother makes". Can't go wrong there!
07/15/2007
This was awesome and quick to make.. I added 1 tsp garlic powder very simular to honey garlic sauces. Was a hit in our house!!!
02/05/2008
My boyfriend loved these!! I made them for a football party and they were gone before I knew it. I saved the sauce to make with something else. I also baked them like another user suggested...will do again.
05/23/2013
This is a great base recipe, but is kind of bland as it is. I added some onions, red pepper, and ginger which I sauteed before adding the rest of the sauce ingredients. It was great, family liked it, I loved it.
01/07/2009
Delicious recipe! As recommended by a reviewer, I also baked the meatballs for about 20 minutes uncovered at 350. I reduced the sauce ingredients in a separate pan before adding the meatballs. I also took the recommendation of adding 1/4 cup of ketchup, but found that it was WAY too sweet, so I added an additional 1/4 of vinegar. Will definitely make this again!
01/04/2011
I thought this was very good. Due to a review mentioning they were a bit sweet, I doubled the vinegar. I was glad I did.
12/30/2010
This a very good. I did use pineapple juice instead of water, onion soup mix for the onion, and cornstarch for the flour. I will make this again.
12/28/2010
Loved this! I made this for a company potluck, only I used store bought turkey meatballs though. They were amazing, all my coworkers wanted the recipe.
08/21/2008
I really liked this! It was so easy! Next time I'm going to add cut up green pepper and serve it over rice. I would add cut up pineapple but my husband doesn't like that. Thanks for a great recipe!
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Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/26673/the-best-sweet-and-sour-meatballs/
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