Sweet and Sour Meatballs

🧂 Ingredients

• meatballs - frozen meatballs are great for this but you could also use any one of our homemade meatball recipes.
• sweet onion
• canned pineapple chunks
• store-bought or homemade sweet and sour sauce
• red and green bell peppers
• green onions - optional but I like the flavor they add.

This is meant to be a brief overview of this great recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below or Jump to Recipe.

🔪 Instructions

1. Spray down your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
2. To your slow cooker, add the meatballs, onion, pineapple, and sweet and sour sauce.
3. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
4. 30 minutes before serving, stir in your bell pepper and cook until crisp-tender.
5. Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.

🥄Equipment

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Here is what you will need to make this easy recipe:

• Crockpot or Slow Cooker - this is my favorite model, I love that it's easy to use and dishwasher safe
• Liquid Measuring Cup
• Cutting Board
• Santoku Knife - I'm obsessed with this knife and use it for everything!
• Skillet

For a list of some of my favorite items to use when cooking, and why I chose them, please visit my Kitchen Resource page.

⭐ Tips

✔️ To save time, you can chop the peppers ahead of time and store them in an airtight container or bag.

✔️ If the sauce seems too thick, add in a little of the pineapple juice from the canned pineapple.

📖 Variations

The first time you try any new recipe we recommend that you make it just as it is written on the recipe card since that is how we have tested it. However, the next time you make our recipe, you might want to try one of these ideas:

• For a little bit of heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a teaspoon or two of sweet chili sauce.
• To add a bit more nutrition, stir in water chestnuts, sugar snap peas, or broccoli. Sometimes I grab a stir fry mix in the freezer section of my grocery store.

Out of something you need? Check out our free ingredient substitutions printable!

Here is how to make your own homemade meatballs

There's absolutely nothing wrong with using store-bought meatballs. If you want to take this recipe to the next level, make your own meatballs. Here's how:

1. Use our Italian meatball recipe but omit parmesan cheese and basil.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of ground ginger, 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, and an extra ¼ cup of breadcrumbs.
3. Combine the meat mixture and bake according to the original recipe.

These meatballs can be made with all ground beef, ground pork, ground turkey, ground chicken, or a combination. You could also use our Korean meatball recipe.

🍴 Serving Suggestions

For dinner, serve with brown or white rice, noodles, or zucchini noodles.

Like my grape jelly meatballs, this sweet and sour meatballs recipe is great for parties and potlucks. Grab some toothpicks or cocktail forks and you're good to go!

😋 Similar Recipes

I love takeout as much as the next gal, but it's expensive! If you're craving the Asian flavors of your favorite to-go spot but your budget says no, don't worry. Next time, try one of these delicious recipes:

• salt and pepper chicken
• teriyaki chicken
• orange chicken
• honey garlic chicken
• beef and broccoli
• sesame chicken