Sweet & Sour Meatballs Over Rice
Submitted by SummerBreeze
Slow cooker sweet and sour meatballs with pineapple chunks and green bell pepper in a sticky vinegar-soy glaze. Set it and forget it, then serve over hot rice.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
6 hrsREADY
6 hrsThe slow cooker does all the heavy lifting here, and you get to take all the credit.
Brown the meatballs on the stovetop for a quick sear, then toss them into the Crock-Pot with a sauce made from vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Walk away. Go live your life. Come back six hours later to a kitchen that smells like a Chinese takeout counter.
Pineapple chunks get stirred in during the last 30 minutes so they warm through without turning to mush, and green bell pepper adds color and a fresh crunch against all that tender, saucy beef.
Spoon the whole thing over a mound of steaming rice and let the sauce puddle into every grain.
Pro Tips
- Sear the meatballs first. It only takes a few minutes and gives them a crust that holds up during the long cook.
- LOW and slow is the way to go. Six to eight hours on low gives the best texture. High works in a pinch (2 to 4 hours) but the meatballs won’t be quite as tender.
- Add the pineapple late. Cooking it too long breaks it down into stringy bits. Thirty minutes is plenty.
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, combine ground beef, egg, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, salt, pepper, and onion.
Shape into 1½-inch balls. In a large skillet, lightly brown meatballs in oil.
Drain fat from skillet. Transfer meatballs to any size Crock-Pot.
Stir together in a small bowl: vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, remaining cornstarch, and green pepper.
Pour over meatballs, cover and cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH 2 to 4 hours.
In the last 30 minutes of cooking stir in the can of pi neapple.
Serve over hot cooked rice.
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