Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Here is to a SIMPLE recipe of Sweet and Sour Meatballs. I don't know about you but this meal is SO colorful and tastes great. Thanks to the case-lot sales last week I have my 1 YEAR SUPPLY of ketchup...so what better meal to cook than Sweet & Sour Meatballs.

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Sweet & Sour Meatballs

2 lbs. hamburger

1 cup milk

1 cup saltine crackers, crushed (or 1 c. bread crumbs) *I added them to the milk to soak up the moisture- I’ve heard on the food network it makes the meatballs more tender.)

1 Tbsp. onions, grated

1 ½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

Sweet & Sour Sauce

1/2 cup cider vinegar

2 cup ketchup

1 ½ cup brown sugar

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. pepper

Dash cayenne pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

Sweet & Sour Vegetables

1 20 oz can pineapple chunks, drained

½ red bell pepper, diced in chunks

½ yellow bell pepper, diced in chunks

½ green bell pepper, diced in chunks

1 medium white onion, diced in chunks

½ c. carrots, diced on an angle

½ c. Sugar Snap Peas (*add at the very end just for color. If you cook them they will not hold their bright green color) *Optional*

Mix ground beef, milk, crackers, onion, salt and pepper in a bowl. Don’t over mix or it will result in a tougher meatball. Form into round balls. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. At 5 minutes roll the meatballs around for even cooking. Mix remaining ingredients into a deep sauté pan. Once sauce has reached a low boil add all vegetables and browned meatballs. Allow to simmer 15-25 minutes or until ready to eat. I prefer my vegetables with a crunch so I added the meatballs to simmer longer than the vegetables. Enjoy! -

FYI (This recipe makes TONS I would cook the entire recipe if you are feeding about 8 adults. I would reduce everything by half if cooking for 2 adults and 4 kids.)

My little guy Caleb wanted to show you all how much he LOVED it too! Is there really anything cuter than a smiling full little guy? I think not!

Also, here is a great FREEZER tip when making meatballs. I was able to have TONS extra (THIS RECIPE MAKES A TON!). So I decided to place them on a cookie sheet, cover them with plastic wrap and let them individually freeze. Then once they are frozen I will toss them in a Ziploc bag and pull out for later recipes. We love Spaghetti and Meatballs or Sub Sandwiches. Both of these will be a QUICK meal because all the hard work is already done. And at my house that is what summer cooking is all about...QUICK an FAST! Oh, and delicious!!