Slow cooker sweet sour meatballs are an easy & simple dinner that even the kids will gobble up. Prepared frozen meatballs combine with an easy homemade sweet & sour sauce. Serve over rice for a delicious Asian-inspired dinner.
I am not often excited for Monday but today I am! It was a tough weekend. We tried to go out and eat on Saturday night for dinner. My husband, me, and our 4 kids who are 8, 6, 3, and 1. Long story short….. we lasted about 5 minutes before we got up and left. It was one of my more embarrassing adult moments.
The kids were tired, cranky, and starving. It was probably our fault for even thinking we could try something like that after a long day.
So since we are home bound and can’t get out to eat, haha 🙂 I need easy dinners that can be prepared in just minutes that I know my kids will love. These slow cooker sweet & sour meatballs are always a hit.
Start off by dumping a bag of frozen, prepared meatballs into the slow cooker. Combine a few ingredients for the simple homemade sweet & sour sauce and pour it over the meatballs. Stir together and let it cook away. The meatballs are so amazingly tender and full of flavor!
A little bit of cornstarch and water helps to thicken the sauce at the end of the cook time. Serve the meatballs over some rice and then drizzle with additional sauce if wanted.
The recipe as written makes about 60 meatballs. So if you’re only serving a few people, compared to an entire family, the recipe can easily be cut in half. Instead of a 20 oz can of pineapple tidbits use an 8 oz can.
Although after tasting these you may just be excited that the recipe makes a lot! The leftovers are equally delicious as well. Keep in mind that you can add more green pepper, less pineapple, more pineapple to whatever your preference is.
If you love sauce, like really love it, you can double the sauce recipe but I will say that it makes plenty as is.
If you want more meatball recipes then be sure to try out these skillet pan pineapple teriyaki meatballs or these orange chicken meatball rice bowls.
- 1 bag (32 oz) frozen, precooked homestyle meatballs about 60 meatballs
- 1 can (20 oz) pineapple tidbits do not drain
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 green pepper sliced
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Dump meatballs into the slow cooker insert.
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In a mixing bowl, combine the pineapple, brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, water, and green pepper. Stir to combine and pour over the meatballs. Stir together to coat the meatballs in the sauce.
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Cover with lid and cook on low for 6 hours.
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30 minutes before cook time is up, combine cornstarch and cold water, pour into the slow cooker and stir. Cover with lid and let cook the remaining time. This will slightly thicken the sauce.
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Serve over cooked rice and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, if wanted.
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2 Comments
Traci
May 25, 2018 at 3:11 pm How much cornstarch do you usually use for this size recipe?Together As Family
May 25, 2018 at 10:42 pm It just depends on how thick or thin you want it. Start with mixing 1 tablespoon cold water + 1 tablespoon cornstarch and add/stir into the meatball mix. If you want it thicker then do it again... I believe I end up using roughly 3 tablespoons cold water + 3 tablespoons cornstarch when I make these.