Sweet and Sour Meatballs Recipe - Great Appetizer
The Best Appetizer Recipe - Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Starting your get together off right with sweet and sour meatballs as the perfect appetizer will be a huge hit. I have made these many times and write a few recipe cards out ahead of time as the requests for the recipe always seem to come.
One of my favorite things about these meatballs is that they can be made ahead and heated the day of the event. This makes service very easy. I serve these in a chafing dish with toothpicks and a long fork for serving.
You can trust this recipe to be a home run with even the pickiest of eaters. My grandkids even like them!
RECIPE FOR SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS
Meatball Makers are a Huge Help
MEATBALLS
Ingredients
- MEATBALLS
- 3 lbs Lean ground beef
- 1/2 lbs. Chopped almonds (fry in salt & butter for 5 minutes)
- 1 cup Bread crumbs
- 2 Eggs
- 2 Cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 tbsps Soy sauce
- 1 tsp Tobasco Sauce
- 1 tsp Nutmeg
- 1 Carrot (grated)
Instructions
- Form into tiny meatballs (appetizer size) and roll in cornstarch.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until done.
Cook Time
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 15 - 20 forappetizers
Sweet and Sour Sauce
Makes a great dish to serve on a buffet table or as an appetizer.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Pineapple juice
- 1 large can Crushed pineapple
- 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
- 4 tbsps Cornstarch
- 1 cup Water
- 1 1/2 cups Granulated sugar
- 1 cup Vinegar
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 10 minutes stirring often.
- Add cooked meatballs and serve in an attractive chafing dish or serving bowl with toothpicks.
- Makes great appetizers or buffet addition.
Serve in Style - Perfect for your next party table.
Chafing dishes make the perfect addition to your party table. They keep your food, meatballs included, warm and tasty during a buffet/appetizer service.
Do You Have a Favorite Meatball Recipe?
What is your favorite sauce for meatballs?
Different Grades of Ground Beef
It is interesting to learn the different grades of meat and it helps you to choose the correct grade for the dish you are making.
Quality Grades of Beef
There are five USDA Grades for Meat
- Prime Grade is produced from young, well-fed beef cattle. It has abundant marbling and is generally sold in restaurants and hotels.
- Choice Gradeis high quality, but has less marbling than Prime. This is a very moist and flavorful grade of beef.
- Select Grade is very uniform in quality and normally leaner than the higher grades. It has less marbling and may have less flavor and tenderness than a higher grade.
- Standard and Commercial Grades are oftensold as ungraded or as "store brand" meat.
- Utility, Cutter, and Canner Grades are rarely sold in supermarkets and used mainly for processed foods.
Gluten Free Meatball Version
Gluten can be dangerous for people with celiac disease (my daughter) so I have a gluten free meatball twist to share with you that is so good. Use the same recipe for the meatballs above but instead of breadcrumbs use 1/2 Cup Gluten free breadcrumbs , Garbanzo Flour or Almond Flour (for low-carb) Try them and enjoy!
These meatballs are perfect for my Sweet and Sour recipe too.
Baking Pan Tip
I like to cook meatballs in the oven. A little trick I use is to crumple some heavy duty foil and line the pan before baking. The crumpled aluminum foil traps any grease from the meatball making them lean and fat free.
Cooking Meatballs on the Grill
Did you know you can cook meatballs easily on your grill? Great when there's a bar-b-que going on in the yard or when there's a power outage in the kitchen!