Affordable, tasty and super simple to make. These Sweet and Sour Meatballs with a homemade sauce are a great family meal.
From the beginning of my food blogging journey, my focus has always been on family friendly meals. My recipe for Sweet and Sour Meatballs ticks all the boxes, in terms of affordability, nutrition and flavour. Our boys love this meal and I hope you and your family enjoy it too.
One of my favourite deals at my local supermarket is a 3 for $20 special on meat. Without fail I use this every week purchasing a range of meatballs, mince, smoked salmon, burger patties, sausages or chicken breast. That makes each packet of meat less than $7! I can easily get a whole meal and usually leftovers from one of these packets making them such an affordable option.
The total cost for this meal was a super low $12.85 which works out to only $3.20 per serve (March, 2021). Proving it is possible to serve your family delicious, nutritious food that doesn't cost the earth.
How to make Sweet and sour meatballs:
To begin, whisk all of the ingredients for the sweet and sour sauce together in a bowl. Chop the broccoli into bite sized pieces and roughly chop the capsicum.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large fry pan, then brown the meatballs on all sides. Move the meatballs to the edges and add the broccoli, capsicum and pineapple pieces. Stir fry for a few minutes until they start to brown.
Pour in the sauce and let it simmer. Stir for a few minutes until it thickens up and the meatballs are cooked through.
Sprinkle over the spring onion and sesame seeds then serve immediately on steamed rice or pasta.
For other great meals using meatballs, check out my recipes for One Pot Meatballs and Gnocchi, Italian Style Pork Meatballs with Creamy Tomato Sauce, The Best Meatball Stroganoff and my super easy One Pot Baked Meatballs and Pasta.
Common questions about Sweet and Sour Meatballs:
Could I use different flavoured meatballs? Absolutely. Beef, lamb or pork meatballs would all work well in this meal.
What other vegetables could I use? I use seasonal stir fry vegetables which helps to keep the cost down! Broccoli, bok choy, carrot, cauliflower, capsicum, red onion, green beans, mushrooms, baby corn or sugar snap peas are all good options depending on the time of year.
Did you know this recipe was voted as one of the top 8 VJ Cooks dinner recipes of all time by our social media followers? To celebrate these popular recipes, I compiled a FREE ebook of the crowd favourites. Click here to download my Favourite Dinners ebook.
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*Disclaimer*
If you want to make this recipe gluten free: Always check the label on processed foods, including sauce bottles.
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Affordable, easy and tasty meatballs cooked in a homemade sauce with vegetables.
Ingredients
- 400g beef meatballs
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ head broccoli
- 1 red capsicum
- 150g pineapple pieces
- 1 spring onion, sliced
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- Steamed rice to serve
Sweet and sour Sauce:
- 4 Tbsp pineapple juice
- 4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp tomato sauce
- 2 Tbsp crushed garlic
- 2 Tbsp crushed ginger
- 1 Tbsp cornflour
Instructions
- Whisk the ingredients together for the sweet and sour sauce.
- Chop broccoli into bite sized pieces. Roughly chop up capsicum.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan. Add meatballs and brown on all sides for about 5 minutes.
- Move the meatballs to the edges and add the broccoli, capsicum and pineapple pieces. Stir fry for a few minutes until they start to brown.
- Pour in the sauce and let it simmer stirring for a few minutes until it thickens up and the meatballs are cooked through.
- Sprinkle over spring onion and sesame seeds. Serve immediately with hot steamed rice.
Notes
- Feel free to make your own meatballs using either beef, lamb or pork mince. Or a combination!
- Use your favourite seasonal stir fry vegetables.
- Use the drained juice from the can of pineapple pieces in the sweet and sour sauce.
- If you want to make this recipe gluten free: Always check the label on processed foods, including sauce bottles.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 300Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 968mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 5gSugar: 16gProtein: 12g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
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More Gluten Free Meals
*While all of these meals are inherently gluten free (no glutinous grains) be sure to check you sauce bottles and spices are gluten free before cooking for someone with coeliac disease.*
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Affordable, easy and tasty meatballs cooked in a homemade sauce with vegetables.
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Michaela says
Hey do you have a recipe for
Meatballs ? And what can I use instead of apple cider vinegar?
Thanks
Vanya says
Yes I do have some pork meatballs here: https://vjcooks.com/pork-meatballs/ . Just swap for white or malt vinegar.
Kay says
Hi do u have a meatball recipe
VJ cooks says
Yes I do! https://vjcooks.com/pork-meatballs/
Anita says
Can I just check the recipe 2TBL spoons of garlic and ginger seems a lot. We were overwhelmed with the garlic taste.
VJ cooks says
Yes that's correct. Did you use crushed garlic from a jar or fresh garlic? Fresh is much stronger.
Alison says
This was absolutely delicious and the whole family enjoyed it. Thanks Vanya
michelle says
Hi, can you use fresh garlic and ginger? and ketchup instead of tomatoe sauce?
michelle says
Hi, can you use fresh garlic and ginger? and ketchup instead of tomatoe sauce?
VJ cooks says
Yes, you can use fresh garlic and ginger, I would use about 3 cloves of garlic and a tablespoon of fresh ginger. Yes, ketchup would be fine.
Alison says
Made this for dinner again tonight. Always super popular with all the family. Thanks Vanya
Mel says
Lovely dish. Reduced ginger to 2 teaspoons as it was very strong using Pam's Crushed Ginger.
Holly says
One of our favourites! Makes the perfect amount for me to have leftovers for lunch at work the next day and I love being able to chuck in whatever veges I have in the fridge that need using up!
VJ cooks says
Yes! No need to buy special ingredients - use what you already have! Thank you for the feedback, Holly 🙂
Wendy says
I made these for dinner last night and they were delish! Better yet, there was enough for the freezer too. I put a little less garlic and ginger that what they recipe said,and it was perfect for our taste. Yum!
VJ cooks says
That's awesome, thanks for the feedback, Wendy 🙂
Jo says
This was Delicious! I made it with Venison mince