Hawaiian Meatballs

I think I originally stole this recipe from a roommate in college.  However, one day I was searching the internetz and found an almost identical recipe online.  This is a fantastic recipe to make for a large crowd (my copy is doubled) and tastes great with rice.

One day my cousin and I were going to make this for our family, but had to go run an errand, so we asked my uncle to help put the meatballs together while we were gone.  When we came back we realized that he had put almost all of the ingredients in the meatball mixture (we stopped him right before the green peppers).  However, it actually turned out pretty well.  Long story short, feel free to add some of the spices from the sauce into the meatballs.

Instead of frying them, you can also bake the meatballs on a broiler pan or 9x13 pan at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Hawaiian Meatballs

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2/3 cup crushed saltine cracker crumbs
1/3 cup minced onion
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pineapple chunks - drained, with juice reserved
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper

Directions

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, cracker crumbs, onion, egg, milk, ginger and salt. Shape mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls into meatballs.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place meatballs in skillet and cook until evenly brown, and meat is no longer pink. Drain excess fat.
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, brown sugar, reserved pineapple juice, vinegar and soy sauce. Mix until smooth, then pour into the skillet with meatballs. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green pepper and pineapple chunks. Heat through.  

Serve with rice.



Original link:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/waikiki-meatballs/