The easiest Sweet and Sour Meatballs (2024)

From the beginning of my food blogging journey, my focus has always been on family friendly meals. That often means balancing nutrition with taste and also affordability. So when Countdown asked me to create a meal as part of their Value you can Count on campaign, it was too easy. My recipe forSweet and Sour Meatballs ticks all the boxes.

One of my favourite deals at Countdown is the 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 is a super low $12.85 which works out to only $3.20 per serve. 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 socialmedia followers? To celebrate these popular recipes, I compiled a FREE ebook of the crowd favourites. Click here to download myFavourite Dinners ebook.

AD – Thanks so much to Countdown for partnering with me to create this recipe.

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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

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

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

1. Whisk the ingredients together for the sweet and sour sauce.
2. Chop broccoli into bite sized pieces. Roughly chop up capsicum.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan. Add meatballs and brown on all sides for about 5 minutes.
4. 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.
5. Pour in the sauce and let it simmer stirring for a few minutes until it thickens up and the meatballs are cooked through.
6. 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: 4Serving Size: 1
Amount 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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