Hawaiian Meatballs: Appetizer Or Dinner

Is there any dish as versatile as Hawaiian meatballs?

It’s one of the top 10 appetizers on a buffet since they’re pretty easy yet very tasty too. The meatballs, pineapple and pepper are easy to skewer on a toothpick so they’re portable as well.

But you can always make a dinner out of them. Served over some rice, this all-in-one dish is the perfect supper to chase away the winter blues.

Making Your Own Is Better

Making your own anything is generally better than store bought.

When it comes to these meatballs, I believe making your own is almost essential. Since most ready-made ones are Italian flavored and probably won’t blend well with the flavors in the sauce. Of course if you can find ready-made meatballs that have a more generic flavoring, that would probably work, however, I’ve never tried it so I can’t say for sure.

I’m very sure you’ll love this recipe so much that you’ll want to make it again, so why not double or even triple the meatball recipe? Then you can brown them and freeze the excess for future use.

Pineapples And Peppers

The amounts I give in the recipe are what I use. However, since the success is not connected to specific amounts with either the bell peppers or the pineapple, feel free to use more or less of either. So if you want to “beef it up” and extend it, I’d add more pineapple so the meat and pineapple are about equal. So in that instance, a 20 ounce can of pineapple chunks would be about right. Since there’ll be more liquid, use an additional tablespoon of cornstarch and water to thicken (if you desire the thicker sauce).

The Recipe

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Hawaiian Meatballs

Easy meatballs with a Hawaiian flair.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: foods with tropical flavors, hawaiian meatballs, polynesian dinners, quick meatball dinners

Servings: 4

Calories: 559kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

Meatballs:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 3/4 cup soft breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely minced or pressed
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbs milk or cream
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Sauce:

• 8 oz can pineapple chunks including juice
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 3 tbs soy sauce
• 1 medium green pepper cut in chunks
• 2 tbs cornstarch
• 2 tbs water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
• Mix all meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Shape into balls about 1-inch/2.5-cm in diameter. Place on prepared sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until there is no pink in the center of the meatballs. Remove from oven and set aside and keep warm.
• Drain juice from pineapple into a small bowl. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, except the pineapple chunks and green pepper. Stir well.
• Add the sauce to a large skillet and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to boil. Mix the cornstarch and water and stir into the boiling sauce; stir until thickened.
• Add the pineapple and the green pepper. Boil for 1 minute.
• Add the meatballs to the skillet; stir to coat with the sauce and heat through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 559kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 153mg | Sodium: 1282mg | Potassium: 730mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 65g | Vitamin A: 270IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 5mg

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