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    Home » Cooking Stuff » Mains

    The Best Sweet & Sour Meatball Recipe

    October 15, 2012 by Karen 30 Comments

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    I sort of lured you into this post under false pretences.  For that I kind of apologize.  You should know the apology is only halfhearted.

    I really have no idea if this is the *best* sweet & sour meatball recipe but I figure if every 2nd coffee shop in Manhattan can serve the "Best Coffee", there's obviously a great deal of leeway in the assigning of "best of" around North America.

    They are really good sweet & sour meatballs though.  Really good.

    In fact.  They're the best.

    This is not an original Karen recipe. It is a stolen recipe from a Church cookbook, so if I were to tell you it's an original Karen recipe I run the risk of the wrath of the church ladies.  Or being struck by lightening.  Or even worse ... developing an affinity for Hello Kitty scrunchies.

    This is a relatively quick meal that has it all on one plate.  Rice, vegetables and ... balls of meat. It goes by the name, "Cheap and Chic Meatballs". According to the church ladies anyway.

     

    [print_this]

    Cheap & Chic Meatballs

    from the Jubilee Cookbook

    Ingredients

    Meatballs                                          Sauce

    1 lb ground beef                               ½ cup brown sugar         ¼ cup vinegar

    Would you like to save this stuff?

    We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.

    ¼ cup bread crumbs                     1 tablespoon cornstarch              1 tablespoon soy sauce

    1 egg beaten                                      ⅓ cup water

    salt & pepper

     

    Vegetables for stir frying

      1 tablespoon vegetable oil

     1 large onion, diced large

      5-7 carrots, ¼" slices

     2-3 red peppers, in chunks

    Method:

    1.  Combine ground beef, bread crumbs, egg and salt and pepper. Form into small meatballs.  Place on cookie sheet and bake in oven at 325 until done. Apx. 30 minutes.

    2.  Add onion, carrots and peppers to large pan or wok.  Stir fry for 8 minutes or until done.

    3.  In a saucepan, whisk together brown sugar and cornstarch to incorporate.  Add water, vinegar and soy sauce.  Mix well.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thick and clear.

    4.  Add cooked, hot meatballs and sweet and sour sauce to vegetables and stir until everything is coated with sauce.

    Serve over bed of rice and eat it up. [/print_this]

    I've given this some thought. I'm gonna commit and declare this is the best sweet and sour meatball recipe.  Now if you'll excuse me I have to go do the best laundry in the best washing machine in the best laundry room in the best house in the best neighbourhood in the best town in the best country in the best planet.  The laundry of course, is being done ... by the best person. With the very best scrunchie.

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    1. mdk

      May 12, 2017 at 8:38 am

      Close... but I think you forgot the apricot jelly.

      Reply
    2. Linda

      November 03, 2013 at 4:40 pm

      sorry, had to do it! LOL

      Reply
    3. Wendy

      April 09, 2013 at 1:31 pm

      This is hilarious! I had this EXACT recipe when I attended Brownie camp in 1979 and I STILL use it regularly today. My family loves it and I have passed this sauce recipe on to everyone I know. Can be easily doubled or tripled successfully. Can't believe you found the identical recipe -and didn't realize it originated with "church ladies" -may explain why it is loved by all!

      Reply
      • Karen

        April 09, 2013 at 2:39 pm

        LOL! That's funny. I guess it really is a good recipe if it's being passed along for THAT many years. ~ karen!

        Reply
    4. Jack

      October 18, 2012 at 8:43 am

      Question: If you were preparing this recipe for hungry men, how many would it serve?

      Reply
      • Karen

        October 18, 2012 at 10:00 am

        It would probably serve 4 hungry men. That is my guess. It is a guess. ~ karen

        Reply
    5. Cindy G.

      October 16, 2012 at 9:52 pm

      I think your "Cheap & Chic" meatball recipe should meet my "Saucy" miniature meatball recipe and go out on a date...

      Reply
      • Karen

        October 16, 2012 at 9:55 pm

        Cindy. Is you Jewish? Is your recipe from a Synagogue cookbook? 'Cause if that's the case all we need are some Mosque meatballs to possibly create World Meat Peace. ~ karen

        Reply
        • Cindy G.

          October 17, 2012 at 10:10 pm

          Hmmm... no, I'm not Jewish, but since I don't know where my mom got the recipe, we can pretend that it was passed down from my Lithuanian grandmother who had a best friend who A) loved to cook and B) was Jewish, because if it came from my grandmother, eating it would probably be lethal, so it's safer to invent a friend. So, World Meat Peace could be potentially happen (and maybe my grandmother really did have a Jewish friend...).

    6. Ana

      October 16, 2012 at 9:04 pm

      Think this would work in the slowcooker?

      Reply
    7. Cheryl

      October 16, 2012 at 6:43 pm

      OK--the recipe sounds absolutely delicious--most definitely my kind of food--
      however--I just don't think I could eat it off a blue plate. Just sayin' . . .

      Reply
      • Jean munroe

        November 03, 2013 at 3:22 pm

        I love that blue -- I think it's really turquoise -- plate because I have those dishes AND that silverware. So, Karen, you also have the very best taste.

        Reply
    8. Barbie

      October 16, 2012 at 6:19 pm

      Looks yummy and easy! Thanks Karen.

      Reply
    9. Evalyn

      October 16, 2012 at 2:12 pm

      Do you think the key to a good sweet and sour dish is the vegis? I think carrots are the key. Some people might say peppers, but I think carrots. And celery because frankly I don't like peppers and wouldn't put them in. So, I'm going with carrots and celery. Thanks for your input, I feel better now.

      Reply
    10. Rebecca

      October 16, 2012 at 2:05 pm

      The best food poisoning!

      Reply
      • Nicola

        October 16, 2012 at 6:01 pm

        Nice

        Reply
    11. SK Farm Girl

      October 16, 2012 at 12:42 pm

      Mmmmm . . . sounds yummy! Will be making it tonight, but subbing ground beef with ground chicken! I know a number of people are skiddish right now with the ground beef issue so go out on a limb and think out of the box! Try ground chicken, ground turkey, ground bison or even ground elk (or other wild meet of your choice)! Know where your meet comes from; chose an accountable supplier . . . just saying!

      Reply
    12. Elen Grey

      October 16, 2012 at 12:40 pm

      I am not printing this recipe on the best printer, in the best office, over the best garage, on the best str... ;-)

      Hm. I wonder if I can do this recipe with ground turkey.

      Reply
    13. Nancy Blue Moon

      October 16, 2012 at 11:19 am

      Stealing from church ladies Karen..tisk tisk..you should be severely punished young lady..like having to wear two Hello Kitty scrunchies..one on each side making your hair stand up in short little ponytails..forever..lol

      Reply
    14. Dawna Jones

      October 16, 2012 at 11:09 am

      YUMMY,YUMMY!
      http://www.dawnajonesdesign.com/

      Reply
      • Karen

        October 16, 2012 at 11:14 am

        They are! I'd venture to say ... they're the best. ~ k

        Reply
    15. Rebecca

      October 16, 2012 at 10:37 am

      Really, recipes with ground beef? Your timing might be a little off Karen. Unless your readers enjoy a bit of E. coli with their sweet and sour sauce;)

      Reply
      • Karen

        October 16, 2012 at 10:51 am

        Hah! I know. I may start buying from small farms if I can find some. ~ karen!

        Reply
    16. Theresa

      October 16, 2012 at 9:53 am

      Mmmmm, sounds great! Going to try it out on the guy sometime soon.

      Reply
    17. Stephanie

      October 16, 2012 at 8:18 am

      Sooo, CHeap CHick or Sheep Shic Meatballs? hee hee
      Caffeine hasn't kicked in yet, still goofy.

      Reply
    18. FLP

      October 16, 2012 at 8:13 am

      This really is the best town.

      Reply
    19. maureen

      October 16, 2012 at 2:52 am

      i love church cookbooks. when my kids were young, i used to make the veg and sauce like that with leftover turkey. stole that idea from a buffet at the bay's georgian room when i was a kid. yummy

      Reply
    20. Laura

      October 16, 2012 at 12:12 am

      Wait... Does your super chic short hair even hold a Hello Kitty scrunchie?!?! You really do do everything!

      I said do do!

      Reply
      • Karen

        October 16, 2012 at 12:15 am

        LOL. You did indeed. The kd lang show was FANTASTIC by the way. Laura and her sister (The Secret Sisters) opened for kd lang on tour this year, everyone. kd also has super chic short hair. I do not think she owns any hello kitty scrunchies. ~ karen!

        Reply
        • Nicola

          October 16, 2012 at 5:59 pm

          Cool Laura! Congrats! Or should it be congrats kd lang that you opened for her! Way to go!

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