When I created this recipe (over 15 years ago!), I remarked on making your own sauce. At the time I only mentioned that it required little time to do so. There also is another key reason why you should make your own sauce. You control the sweetness. In fact, you even can do that with my recipe. Too sweet? Add a little more vinegar or reduce the amount of ketchup. Want a little more zing? Add some hot sauce. Either way, I still think meatballs are a great option. So, if you’re looking for an appetizer recipe for a gathering, give this sweet and sour meatball recipe a try.
The original post from October 2010
For me, meatballs are an obvious choice when entertaining. First, most people tend to enjoy meatballs (at least in my circle of family and friends). Second, they can be prepared in advance and kept warm in a crockpot. Third, they need no garnish or accompaniments, just a fork and a plate, and this munchy is ready to go.
Of course, serving regular meatballs in marinara can become boring, so we have tried many different meatballs. We have made Hawaii-inspired meatballs, chicken cordon bleu meatballs, and mozzarella stuffed meatballs, among others. When we planned a family get together the other weekend, meatballs were sure to be included in the menu.
Serving a mix of children and adults, we wanted to try something that was a little different without offending the kids (and my brother’s) palate. The way we managed to do this was to make a basic meatball but serve it in a homemade sweet and sour sauce. The result? We had a kitchen full of happy eaters.
I am sure you could buy a jar of sweet and sour sauce to make your cooking time even shorter, but this recipe was quite delicious. What’s 10 minutes of work when you end up with an appetizer that is yummy?
- 2 cups ketchup
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice
- 4 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1 14-ounce can crushed pineapple
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- black pepper
- homemade meatballs
- In a medium stockpot or crockpot, combine ketchup, juice, worcestershire sauce, sugar, vinegar, pineapple, and garlic.
- Add pepper to taste. Add previously cooked meatballs, and allow to simmer for several hours, so that the flavors have time to meld.
- This recipe makes enough sauce for 3 or 4 dozen meatballs.
