This is the easiest meatball recipe I have ever had and it is so delicious. I even made it in the slow cooker for Shabbat lunch.
For slow cooker: Follow directions below and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Set to warm until ready to serve.
Editor’s note: some people have asked if this will really work, if the meat will stick together without any binder, so I tested it recently and made a batch with egg and breadcrumbs to compare. The results were that the plain meat worked really well, but were not as fluffy. Both were equally delicious and it came down to personal preference.
Related: 8 Easy Slow Cooker Dinners for Busy Nights
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Servings
4 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef turkey, or chicken
- 1 15-ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 15-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice
Instructions
- Shape meat into balls.
- Pour cranberry sauce, tomato sauce, and pineapple into a large pot.
- Bring sauce to a boil, then drop in the meatballs.
- Simmer for 30-45 until meatballs are fully cooked and enjoy over rice, couscous, or quinoa for Passover.
I made this for pesach it was a hit. Thanks!
You will need something else if you don’t use it, it adds a lot of sweet and sort of tang and texture and it doesn’t taste very pineapple like.
Is the canned pineapple critical? I do not love pineapple.
Thanks!
Hi Ariel, you will want to serve this with something starchy that can soak up the flavors of the sauce, I like rice and quinoa, but couscous or mashed potatoes would all work. Then all you need is a vegetable, I would do garlicky kale or spinach or roasted broccoli, I always like green on my plate.
Tamar, What do you serve it with?
It has been so long since I did for Shabbat, but I think it worked well as is. I poured all the sauce in and then placed the meatballs on top and let cook on low the whole time. The meat cooks through pretty quickly so I don’t think you have to put it on high first or anything, but is best if you can stir it around a bit before Shabbat. Also I was given a tip I would try to help from drying out and that is adding shredded apple to the meat, if you try it let me know.
Tamar, can you give us some guidance to cook these in the crockpot? how long do we cook them for and at what temp? at what point do we lower it for the rest of Shabbos? do we need to add additional water before Shabbos so it does not dry out? please advise…thanks so much.
Hi- Everyone has a sweet and sour meatball recipe! My favorite for year round is 1 jar of chile sauce, 1/2 jar current jelly and 3 TBSP ketchup. I use ground turkey and add 1 egg, 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper , 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs or matzo meal and 2 TBSP boiling water to it. On Pesach, I use 1 can jellied cranberry sauce and 2 cups ketchup.