Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Dietary Needs:

Recipe Author:

From our What’s for Lunch? Cookbook

Servings

4-6 plates

Total Time to Make

1 hour

Ingredients

For the meatballs

1 small onion or 2 tsp (10 ml) onion powder

1 clove garlic or 1 tsp (5 ml) garlic powder

1 lb (454 g) lean ground beef

1 cup (250 ml) cooked lentils, drained and mashed (about ½ a 540 ml can)

⅓ cup (60 ml) ground oatmeal or breadcrumbs

1 egg

1 tsp (7.5 ml) salt

¼ tsp (1.25 ml) pepper

1 Tbsp (15 ml) oil

For the vegetables

1 large or 2 medium carrots

1 red or green pepper

½ bunch broccoli

1 Tbsp (15 ml) oil

Pinch salt

For the sauce

1 (398 ml) can crushed pineapple or pineapple tidbits with juice

½ cup (125 ml) ketchup

3 Tbsp (45 ml) white or apple cider vinegar

⅓ cup (165 ml) honey or sugar

1 Tbsp (15ml) soy sauce, lower sodium if possible

¼ tsp (1.25 ml) powdered ginger or 1 tsp grated fresh ginger, optional

¼ cup ( (60 ml) water

1 Tbsp (15 ml) cornstarch

To Serve Cooked rice or mashed potatoes

Directions

To make the meatballs, preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel the onion if using fresh and mince or grate it. Mince the garlic if using fresh. In a large bowl, combine the ground meat with the lentils, onion or onion powder, garlic or garlic powder, oatmeal or breadcrumbs, egg, salt, and pepper. Use a spoon or clean hands to mix until very well combined, then mix a little more.
Spread one of the baking sheets with 1 Tbsp oil. Roll the meat mixture into balls about ¾” in diameter and place them on the oiled baking sheet.
Cook the vegetables: peel the carrot and slice it thinly. Seed and chop or slice the red or green pepper. Cut the broccoli into small florets. On the second baking sheet, toss the vegetables with 1 Tbsp oil and a pinch of salt.
Bake the meatballs and veggies for about 15-20 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through (a thermometer inserted into a meatball should read at least 165°F) and the veggies are tender, but still crisp.
Make the sauce: while the meatballs and veggies are cooking, combine the pineapple with all its liquid, ketchup, vinegar, honey or sugar, soy sauce, and ginger in a small pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Whisk the water with the cornstarch and add to the pineapple mixture. Cook and stir until the mixture bubbles and thickens.
When the meatballs and vegetables are cooked, carefully take them out of the oven with oven mitts and place on a heatproof surface. Serve the meatballs and veggies with the rice or potatoes and spoon on as much sauce as you like.
Refrigerate leftovers promptly. Meatballs may be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for longer storage.

Bring the recipe into your home, classroom, or community

Hungry for something fun? Get cooking with our cookbook What’s for Lunch? Nova Scotia Recipes to Cook and Enjoy Together. Explore the recipes with your family at home! If you’re an educator, check out our Recipes for Learning resources that bring food literacy to life through engaging cooking videos and hands-on classroom activities.