You can never go wrong with meatballs, whether it’s a cheesy meatball bake, Mexican meatball soup, or these super easy cocktail style meatballs. I make these for every party and they’re always the first thing to disappear! In my opinion, you can never have too many meatball recipes! These slow cooker sweet and sour meatballs couldn’t be any easier, and they’re one of my favorite snacks to serve at gatherings. These meatballs are also great served as a main course over rice pilaf or garlic mashed potatoes with a vegetable side.
Sweet And Sour Meatballs Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, onion, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, chili sauce, grape jelly and parsley.
How do you make sweet and sour meatballs?
Preheat the oven broiler, and line a sheet pan with foil. Place the beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, onion, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a large bowl, then stir to combine. Shape the meat into balls, and place them on the pan. Broil under the meatballs are golden brown. Melt the grape jelly in the microwave or in a pan on the stove. Whisk in the chili sauce. Place the meatballs in a slow cooker, and pour the sauce over the top. Cook on low heat, then add a sprinkle of parsley and serve.
Tips for sweet and sour meatballs
Make sure to mince your onion finely so that there aren’t large chunks in the meatballs. Alternatively, you could grate the onion. You can make your meatballs as big or as small as you like. I typically go for meatballs that are about 1 inch in diameter. I typically make these meatballs with 90% lean ground beef, as it is flavorful but not overly greasy. In a hurry? You can use frozen pre-cooked meatballs instead of homemade meatballs, but I recommend going for the homemade meatballs.
Flavor Variations
This recipe is great as written, but you can easily customize some of the flavors to suit your taste.
Meat: You can make the meatballs with ground turkey or ground chicken if you prefer not to use beef. Sauce: Swap out the grape jelly for apricot jam or cranberry sauce for a different flavor profile. You can also stir in a little brown sugar for a sweeter sauce. Toppings: Instead of fresh parsley, try topping your meatballs with sliced chives or green onions.
Once you try these easy meatballs, you’ll find yourself making them on a regular basis! No one will know how simple they are to make, but you’ll get plenty of compliments from family and friends.
