Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs

By: Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste

Go the DIY route with homemade Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs starring Snake River Farms Kurobuta Ground Pork. This recipe will have you multi-tasking to save time without sacrificing flavor. Pop the meatballs into the oven, and while they bake, whip up a quick-fix sauce that balances the sweet (pineapple juice, brown sugar and ketchup) with the sour (rice wine vinegar) and cooks until thick and syrupy. Pour the sauce over the meatballs, stir in juicy diced pineapple chunks, and dinner is done.

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 3 tablespoons whole milk
  • 2 pounds Snake River Farms Kurobuta Ground pork
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup minced white onion
  • 1 large egg

Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
  • 2 cups diced pineapple
  • Rice or lettuce wraps, for serving

Meatballs

In a large bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and milk until well-combined. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
To the same bowl, add the ground pork, garlic, onion, egg, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Using your hands, mix together the ingredients just until combined.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
Using your hand or a small ice cream scoop, portion out 2-tablespoon mounds of the meat mixture and roll into balls, arranging them about 1 inch apart on the baking sheet.
Bake the meatballs until they are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. While the meatballs are baking, make the sauce.

Sauce

Add the olive oil to a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Whisk pineapple juice, ketchup, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and cornstarch mixture. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is thick and syrupy, 3 to 5 minutes.
Transfer the cooked meatballs to a large bowl then stir in the diced pineapple and sauce, tossing to combine. Serve over rice or tucked inside lettuce wraps.