Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Meatballs is easily put together and the result is tender, flavorful meatballs with a well-balanced delicious sauce.
January is National Slow Cooker Month and what a better way to celebrate it than with easy recipes like this slow cooker sweet and sour meatballs recipe! Today is the last day that several other food bloggers and I are sharing slow cooker recipes for the event. Be sure to scroll past the recipe to see a list of what we are sharing today! Monday I shared this delicious sweet 3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Cherry Cobbler. Wednesday I made a delicious Vegetarian Spicy Cheese Dip in the slow cooker.
Today, I’m sharing the recipe for my sweet and sour meatballs made in the slow cooker. Unlike these slow cooker meatball sliders, I made the meatballs from scratch for this recipe. The sauce for the meatballs is a sweet and sour one that is started by using a bottle of sweet and sour sauce and adding other ingredients to bring it up a level.
How to Cook Sweet and Sour Meatballs in Slow Cooker
How to make homemade meatballs
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a baking rack on top of the foil. Spray the rack with nonstick spray.
In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, Panko bread crumbs, finely diced onion, eggs, ketchup, 1/8 cup brown sugar, and salt/pepper (to taste) until blended. Don’t over mix the mixture.
Form into about 1 inch balls and place on prepared baking rack. Bake for about 20 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time. Remove from oven when done, and set aside.
How to prepare the sweet and sour sauce
Spray inside of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. (Makes for easy clean-up!) Place all sweet and sour sauce ingredients inside the slow cooker and stir to combine. Add meatballs and coat them with the sauce. There isn’t a lot of sauce, this is normal and okay.
As the meatballs simmer in the slow cooker, the vegetables will add a bit more liquid to help create more sauce. Place lid on slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
Serve over rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Meatballs:
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 1/4 cups Panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 small onion chopped finely
- 1 eggs
- 1/4 plus 1/8 cup ketchup
- 1/8 cup brown sugar
Ingredients for the Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- 1 10 oz jar sweet and sour sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 medium red bell pepper chopped (Use what colors you have on hand)
- 1 medium green bell pepper chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 20 oz can pineapple chunks, drained (you can use crushed too)
Instructions
Instructions for the Meatballs:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a baking rack on top of the foil. Spray the rack with nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl, mix together ground beef, Panko, onion, eggs, ketchup, and 1/8 cup brown sugar until blended.
- Form into about 1 inch balls and place on a prepared baking rack.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time. Remove from oven and set aside
Instructions for the Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- Spray inside of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. (Makes for easy clean-up!)
- Place all sweet and sour sauce ingredients inside the slow cooker and stir to combine
- Add meatballs and coat them with the sauce. There isn't a lot of sauce, this is normal and okay. As the meatballs simmer in the slow cooker, the vegetables will add a bit more liquid to help create more sauce. Place lid on slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Serve over rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes.
Notes
You can use frozen meatballs, too if you are short on time. I like to make a double batch of meatballs when I am making them for a recipe and then freeze half for a later use.
You can use ground turkey would be good in place of the ground beef. Recipe for the sweet and sour sauce adapted from: Six Sisters Stuff
Friday’s Slow Cooker Recipes
This week we are celebrating all things slow cooker! We have delicious recipes from across the country to fill your meal plans with delicious slow cooker recipes!
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato and Smoked Sausage Soup from Cheese Curd In Paradise
- Slow Cooker Vegetable Curryfrom Magical Ingredients
- Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Meatballs from Blogghetti
- Slow Cooker Honey Buffalo Wings from The Spiffy Cookie
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Enjoy!
I love anything with a sweet and sour flavor so I can’t wait to try this recipe. Such a great idea! Love how it’s served with veggies and rice 🙂
I have a weakness for savory dishes with pineapple. I love that the meatballs can be made in advance and then cooked in the slow cooker with the sauce and veggies! I can’t wait to try this.
That’s one delicious bowl! The sweet and sour flavors are quite interesting and the plate is colorful, in fact, inviting!
I’ve never made an Asian dish with meatballs before but they came out so tender they basically fell apart! And the sauce was perfect. I would absolutely make this again and think it would work well with any type of protein.
Thanks Erin! It works with sausage (pork and turkey) and I’ve even done the sauce with thin beef strips with great success.