Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Perfect Christmas buffet appetizer. I made this in the oven, but I see no reason why you couldn't do it in a slow cooker. Just adjust the cooking time to 4 hours or so.

This recipe calls for a lot of black pepper. You may want to add half the amount, and taste at some point in the cooking. As the sauce reduces, the pepper flavor will intensify. I happen to like pepper, so it doesn't bother me. Your tastes may differ.


2 1/2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
Black pepper (about a tablespoon)
1/4 cup tablespoons pineapple juice (reserved from the cans listed below)
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup chopped green onion
6 cloves chopped garlic
2 pounds cooked and frozen mini-meatballs, thawed
2 (8-ounce) cans pineapple chunks, drained, juice reserved

Coarse black pepper




Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the first 10 ingredients (ketchup through garlic) in a large bowl. Stir well to combine. Add meatballs and pineapple chunks. Stir again to coat.

Add the meatball mixture to a deep greased baking dish. Bake 1 hour, stirring after 30 minutes. If the mixture looks dry, add the rest of the reserved pineapple juice. Season with more cracked pepper, and serve hot.



--Adapted from Shane Grenald and Paula Deen