Evelyn's Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Submitted by morleahs mom

"This is my grandmother's sweet and sour meatball recipe. For those who like to use up everything, it's a great way to make use of sweet pickle juice - as the pickles are used up, I just save the juice in a jar at the back of the fridge. Easy, quick prep, can be cooked on stove top, in oven or crockpot and can cook meatballs in the sauce or pre-cook in microwave, fry pan or oven. This recipe freezes well and is easily doubled. Also kid-friendly; my 4 year old who is going through the stage of "KD and hotdogs or nothing" eats this without prompting!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 40mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Yields: 24-30 meatballs plus 3 cups sauce
• Serves: 3-4

ingredients

• Sauce

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup sweet pickle juice (eg. bread and butter, sweet mixed, etc.)
• 1 cup water
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon soya sauce
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (optional)

• meatball (also good for meatloaf)

• 1 1⁄2 lbs ground beef
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1⁄2 cup milk (use 1 c for meatloaf)
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons onion flakes or 1/2 small onion, chopped and sauteed
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

directions

1. Sauce:

2. Mix all ingredients (may leave out cornstarch, but sauce may be thin).
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer while preparing meat.
4. Drop in meat and simmer at least 30 minutes more.
5. If I'm not in a hurry, this sits and cooks on all day on the stove top.

6. Meatballs:

7. Combine all ingredients and blend thoroughly - hands work best!
8. Roll into small balls and drop into sauce, or cook first then add to sauce.
9. Serve over rice.
10. NOTE: Sauce is also great for ribs.

Reviews

[Diana 2]

Hats off to Grandma Evelyn. :) I mean really, what are you suppose to do with pickle juice? I'd never given it much thought until now. This is an amazing sweet & sour sauce. Just perfect especially since it uses something that generally gets dumped down the drain. The fact that it can simmer all day is a bonus too. I made a double batch of both the sauce and the meat. I had 38 meatballs and 1 meatloaf, which I baked with the sauce on top. I did find the meat mixture quite wet, so added about 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs. Worked like a charm. Thanks so much Morleah's Mom for sharing your family recipe. ;) Honoured to make this as a "Thank You" for voting for Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia in the 2010 Kraft Hockeyville Competition.

 

[rosey57]

I added bread and butter pickles slices and pineapple to the sause. Yummy

 

[GayleenChachula]

totally the best most sensible recipe ever !!!!!!!