Waikiki-Style Meatballs

These sweet and sour meatballs are always a hit at parties. My mom sometimes takes shortcuts and uses pre-made meatballs from a bag, which, after spending a few hours in the slow cooker, taste fine. I like these best when they are made completely from scratch! Ground turkey works too, but doesn't hold its shape as well. To turn into a meal, heat rice to serve with the dish. The serving size refers to this dish as a main meal, but when served as an hors d'oeuvre, easily can feed 10 to 13 people. Sometimes I do not add the cornstarch into the sauce, and just allow it to boil for a bit longer, but the cornstarch really does yield the best result.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 3 hr
• Total Time: 3 hr 15 mins
• Calories: 393 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 ½ pounds ground beef
• ⅓ cup chopped green bell pepper
• ⅓ cup minced onion
• ⅓ cup vinegar
• ⅔ cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1 (15 ounce) can pineapple chunks, juice reserved

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 2

Thoroughly mix the ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, milk, egg, and salt together in a bowl. Roll the mixture into balls and arrange onto a baking sheet.

Step 3

Bake in the preheated oven until the meatballs are browned on the bottom, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a slow cooker.

Step 4

Stir the cornstarch and brown sugar together in the bottom of a saucepan and place over low heat. Add the reserved pineapple juice and vinegar; stir until smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil for 1 full minute before removing from heat; pour over the meatballs in the slow cooker.

Step 5

Add the pineapple chunks and green bell pepper to the slow cooker.

Step 6

Cook the mixture in the slow cooker on Low until the flavors are thoroughly combined, 3 to 4 hours.