I’ve learned over the years to celebrate as much as possible. The little triumphs as well as the big ones. And I welcome the opportunity to learn and grow from the bumps, roadblocks, and crashes. It all makes life brighter and more fulfilling.
Here’s a recipe to share with a crowd, bring to a party, or just pack in a lunch. I have a lot more coming for next year, but for now I’m going to savor all the good stuff that happened this year and jump into the new year with an open heart and mind.
Happy New Year! May it bring you health, peace, and much love.
Sweet & Sour Meatballs {grain-free}
Yield 30 meatballs
This recipe is easy to make ahead, and refrigerate or freeze.
As for subs, you can use 1/4 cup of almond flour or other nut or seed flour in place of coconut flour. You can use maple syrup instead of honey, and for low-carb, replace with the equivalent low-carb sweetener. Finally, you can sub 1/4 cup of sweet onion for the green onions.
And my favorite sub is to use balsamic vinegar in place of apple cider vinegar.
Some nice additions to the sauce (in step 3) are pineapple chunks, chopped green peppers, and chopped red peppers.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 pounds (907 g) ground meat (turkey, chicken or other)
- 2 eggs
- 4 green onion stalks, chopped
- 2 tablespoons (13 g) coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
Sauce
- 3 cups (24 ounces) unsalted tomato sauce
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1/3 cup (113.3 g) honey
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C, or gas mark 4).
- Prepare 2 baking sheets with non-stick mats or parchment paper.
- Prepare the sauce: Place the sauce ingredients in a large saucepan.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Prepare the meatballs: Process or finely chop the green onions.
- Combine the onions and the remaining meatball ingredients and process or blend in a large bowl.
- Spoon out about 30 small meatballs and spread them out across both baking sheets. To make them rounder and smooth, roll them before placing them on the mat.
- Bake the meatballs for 10 to 15 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Combine the meatballs and sauce, and serve.
- Store in the refrigerator for a few days or freeze for a few months.
I’ve got to tell you, the sesame oil is wonderful to bring out the sweet and sour flavor! Great recipe!!
I agree! thank you 🙂
Ohhhh! This looks like a yummy one! Can’t wait to try it!
It is!
Do you think you could make these in the crock pot?
Yes, you can make the sauce in it.
LOVED them!!! Thank you for adding a new flavor into the meals at our house!
Always great to hear! thank you 🙂
Do you think I could make this into meatloaf? Same ratios? What do you think for cook time and temp? I love this recipe!
That’s a great idea! I’ll test it and see. I think it might need to bake a bit longer.