I have another “Tried & True” recipe for y’all this week! My Homemade Hawaiian Meatballs have made a regular appearance on our dinner table for at least ten years. My mother-in-law made them for us once and we all became immediate fans. My kids were toddlers at the time and they gobbled them up! I can’t leave recipes alone as you know so I have made some tweaks over the years to perfect the flavors and make the directions simpler.
If you’ve never made homemade meatballs, don’t be intimidated. They are so easy and totally worth the effort! I usually call in one of my teenagers to help scoop so I can quickly roll the meatballs and it goes really fast. The ingredients for the meatballs are simple but flavorful-breadcrumbs, milk, egg, and spices. I like to use my large electric skillet to make this dish because I can fit all the meatballs in at once. If you only have a smaller skillet that is ok. You can brown them in batches but then make the sauce and add everything back in together.
Making the Homemade Hawaiian Meatballs
Doesn’t that look so delicious? Homemade meatballs with that tangy sweet sauce full of pineapples comes together for the perfect family meal. We serve it over rice with a side of steamed broccoli for a complete meal that everyone loves. It makes enough to feed my family of five plus have at least a couple more meals as leftovers. I hope that this family favorite of mine becomes one of yours too!
Lee’s Marketplace is back in a regular sale ad rotation and I am so happy! I love trying to find recipes for the week that have as many ingredients on sale as possible. Most ingredients for my Homemade Hawaiian Meatballs are on sale!
***Items on sale the week of May 26-June 1: ground beef, breadcrumbs, milk, eggs, pineapple tidbits, sugar, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, beef bouillon, olive oil
Homemade Hawaiian Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Sauce
- 1 can (20 oz) pineapple tidbits, drained but reserve juice
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 beef bouillon cubes (or 2 TB beef base)
- 1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients for the meatballs to a large mixing bowl. Mix until everything is combined well. Form into walnut sized balls.
- Heat a large skillet to medium-high and add olive oil. Add meatballs to pan (in batches if necessary) and brown on all sides. Once brown, remove from pan and set aside on a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium and add pineapple tidbits, bell pepper, sugar, red wine vinegar, soy sauce and beef bouillon to pan. Stir to combine.
- In a small bowl, add pineapple juice and cornstarch then whisk until combined and no lumps remain.
- Pour into sauce mixture and stir to combine. Add meatballs back to pan and cook on medium-low for 20 minutes. Serve over rice.
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