As you may know, if you have been around for a while, I love making meatballs. They are super easy to make in bulk and freeze for a night that I don't want to cook. This recipe is no different! These Sweet and Sour Meatballs are deliciously tangy with a hint of natural sweetness from the pineapple and dates.
Typical sweet and sour sauce has SO much sugar in it. I wanted to make a recipe that was sweetened with natural ingredients to help people that may be struggling with blood sugar issues. This recipe is only sweetened with fresh pineapple and just two dates in the entire thing! The meatballs also have minimal ingredients in them because, as I mentioned above, I like to be able to freeze meatballs and pop them into any recipe. When they have very little ingredients, it makes that so much easier.
For the meatballs you can either air fry them or bake them. I prefer to air fry them because they do get crispier, which is how I like them. If you are going to cook them in the oven, you can bake them on 400 for about 15-20 minutes. When you add them to the sauce be sure that you aren't simmering them for more than about 5 minutes in the sauce or they may begin to fall apart.
Tips for Sweet and Sour Meatballs:
- Use any ground meat that you enjoy most. I prefer ground turkey and ground chicken, but use whatever you prefer! I like Greensbury Market
- You can use canned pineapple and pineapple juice, just be sure to check for sugar because it does like to hide there. I prefer fresh pineapple so I know where it doesn't have any added sugar.
- I like to serve this over cauliflower rice, but you can choose to serve it with whatever rice you like best. If you are doing a Whole30 cauliflower rice is best.
- Use the air fryer or oven to cook meatballs, both ways are great!
- To freeze this recipe, I recommend freezing the meatballs and the sauce separately because the meatballs can get soggy when defrosting.
If you are looking for another "better than takeout" recipe, check out my Orange Chicken Meatballs.
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lbs Ground Turkey
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 1 cup Fresh Pineapple cubed
- 2 Dates
- 3 tablespoon Coconut Aminos
- 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 2 tablespoon Ketchup I like The New Primal
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Minced
- 1 teaspoon Ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt and pepper
- ¼ cup Water As needed
Other Ingredients
- 1 Red Bell Pepper Diced
- 3 Green Onions Sliced
- 1 cup Fresh Pineapple Diced
- 4 cup Cauliflower rice
Instructions
- Combine the meatball ingredients (turkey, egg, garlic powder, salt, and pepper) in a mixing bowl. Mix until combined. If you are cooking these in the oven- pre heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Spray your sheet pan or air fryer with your favorite nonstick spray. Scoop 1-2 inch meatballs on to the tray/pan. Pro tip- I use a small ice cream scoop to make perfect meatballs.
- Once all the meatballs are on the tray stick them in the oven or air fryer. For the air fryer, cook on 375 for about 12 minutes. If you are using the oven, cook for about 25 minutes or until meatballs have reached an internal temp of 165 degrees F.
- For the Sweet and Sour sauce, add all the ingredients into a food processor or blender. Mix until smooth. Add water as needed in 1 tablespoon increments to thin the sauce out.
- In a pan that is heated to medium heat, add the Sweet and Sour sauce, diced red pepper and diced pineapple. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
- When the meatballs are done, add then to the pan with the sauce and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Top with green onion and serve over cauliflower rice.
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