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Sweet & Sour Pork Meatballs

5 from 1 votes
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These juicy pork meatballs are loaded up with minced green onions and water chestnuts with ginger and soy and then cooked up in a pineapple sweet and sour sauce! Simple, delicious, and nutritious, this recipe is amazing!

For some other great meatball recipes, why not make this recipe for Rich and Creamy Swedish Meatballs? Or try this recipe for Easy Baked Meatballs instead?

Table of Contents
  1. Sweet & Sour Pork Meatballs
  2. Sweet & Sour Pork Meatballs Ingredients
  3. How To Make Sweet & Sour Pork Meatballs
  4. How To Change The Texture Of Your Dish
  5. Is Ketchup Really Needed?
  6. Don’t forget to PIN THIS RECIPE to your DINNERS Board and remember to FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST!
  7. Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs Recipe
sweet and sour pork meatballs in a skillet

Sweet & Sour Pork Meatballs

Pork meatballs are amazing in their own right, but they can sometimes be a bit lacking on their own. Every meatball needs a flavorful sauce to go with it, whether that is a marinara sauce or something a bit more interesting, like this recipe for sweet & sour pork meatballs.

This recipe comes together really simply and quickly, resulting in some really tender and flavorful meatballs.

sweet and sour pork meatballs ingredients

Sweet & Sour Pork Meatballs Ingredients

Make sure you look at the recipe card at the very bottom for the exact amounts so that you know exactly what to buy for this recipe.

• Ground pork

• Large eggs

• Can of water chestnuts, drained and then minced

• Bread crumbs

• Minced green onions

• Fresh ginger

• Soy sauce

• Salt & pepper

Sweet & Sour Sauce

• Brown sugar

• Water

• Distilled white vinegar

• All-purpose flour (or cornstarch)

• Soy sauce

• Ketchup

Vegetables

• Green pepper

• Red pepper

• Can of pineapple chunks

sweet and sour pork meatballs with vegetables ready to cook

How To Make Sweet & Sour Pork Meatballs

• Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium-sized saucepan until fully combined

• Bring to a low rolling boil and cook until it thickens

• Remove from the heat and set aside, stirring the peppers and pineapple

• Combine the meatball ingredients together until combined

• Roll the meat mixture into large balls, whichever size you want

• Bake them for 10 minutes at 375 Fahrenheit

• Drain the fat, and then pour the sauce with vegetables over the meatballs, totally covering them

• Finish cooking for another 30 minutes until the middle of the meatballs are 165 Fahrenheit

• The pineapple should be heated through, and the vegetables are tender-crisp

• Remove and serve over your favorite rice!   

sweet and sour pork meatballs in a skillet

How To Change The Texture Of Your Dish

This recipe should result in some really flavorful meatballs and a tangy, slightly chunky sauce. However, if you aren’t a fan of those thicker pepper slices, you can always alter the texture to your liking.

If you personally prefer softer peppers, you can always cook them in the sauce for a few minutes first before placing them in the oven. This will help make the pepper a bit tenderer, though it will also remove a little bit of that vegetal flavor that green peppers usually have.

You could also do the same to the pineapple chunks; cook them in the sauce for a little bit to soften them up, or even blend them down! If you blend them into the sauce, expect the pineapple flavor to be really diminished, though it will certainly be a lot more acidic and ‘fresh’ tasting.    

sweet and sour pork meatballs on a plate with white rice

Is Ketchup Really Needed?

A common complaint many people have on seeing ketchup listed in the ingredients is that it’s processed.

While you certainly could cook down a bunch of tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, and MSG into a thick liquid and use that instead, ketchup is cheap and easy to find everywhere.

Despite the fact that it might feel like cheating, ketchup is the best thing to use in this recipe for taste!

Looking for more delicious Pork recipes? Try these out:

Root Beer Pulled Pork

The Best Juicy Brown Sugar Baked Pork Chops

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Enjoy!

Love,

Karlynn

Don’t forget to PIN THIS RECIPE to your DINNERS Board and remember to FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST!

These juicy pork meatballs are loaded up with minced green onions and water chestnuts, spiced with ginger and soy and then cooked up in a pineapple sweet and sour sauce!
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Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs

These juicy pork meatballs are loaded up with minced green onions and water chestnuts, spiced with ginger and soy and then cooked up in a pineapple sweet and sour sauce!
5 from 1 votes
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Courses
Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine
American
Servings
24 meatballs
Calories
159
Author
Karlynn Johnston

Ingredients
 

Meatballs

  • 2 pounds ground pork
  • 2 large large eggs
  • one 8 ounce can water chestnuts drained and chestnuts minced finely
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 3/4 cup minced green onions white part included
  • 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

Sweet and Sour Sauce

  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour or cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup ketchup

Vegetables

  • 1/2 cup green pepper sliced
  • 1/2 cup red pepper sliced
  • 1 20 ounce can pineapple chunks, drained

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 375°F
  • Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium-sized saucepan until fully combined. Bring to a low rolling boil, and cook until it thickens. Remove from the heat and set aside. Stir in the peppers and the pineapple.
  • Combine the meatball ingredients together until completely combined.
  • Roll the meat mixture into large meatballs, whichever size you want. I prefer slightly larger ones, they don’t dry out as quickly.
  • Place them into a large roaster.
  • Bake for 10 minutes then drain the fat, leaving the meatballs in the roaster.
  • Pour the sauce with vegetables over the meatballs, covering them completely.
  • Finish cooking for another 20-30 minutes, until the middle of the meatballs are 165 °F minimum when tested with an instant-read thermometer. The pineapple should be heated through and the vegetables tender-crisp in the sauce.
  • Remove and serve over your favorite rice.

Recipe Notes

  •  If you like soft peppers you can cook them in the sauce for 2-3 minutes BEFORE placing them in the oven.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 159kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 43mg, Sodium: 328mg, Potassium: 157mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 70IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 1mg

All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

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Karlynn Johnston

I’m a busy mom of two, wife & cookbook author who loves creating fast, fresh meals for my little family on the Canadian prairies. Karlynn Facts: I'm allergic to broccoli. I've never met a cocktail that I didn't like. I would rather burn down my house than clean it. Most of all, I love helping YOU get dinner ready because there's nothing more important than connecting with our loved ones around the dinner table!

Learn more about me

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