Polynesian Meatballs- these from-scratch meatballs are coated in a sweet and sour glaze with pineapple tidbits and green bell pepper. Serve over white rice for a delicious meal or appetizer.
It doesn’t take long to make these meatballs, but if you wanted to, you could use a bag of frozen meatballs. The meatballs are made from from a mixture of lean ground beef, onion, panko crumbs, milk, egg, salt, pepper, and ground ginger.
The meatballs are browned in oil in a nonstick skillet. Once the meatballs are browned on all sides, remove them from the pan. They don’t have to be completely cooked at this point.
For the glaze, stir together the cornstarch and brown sugar. Add the juice from the pineapple can, the water, vinegar, and soy sauce and stir until smooth. Add the glaze, pineapple tidbits, and green pepper to the skillet and place over medium heat. Return the meatballs to the skillet. Simmer, turning to coat the meatballs well, until the glaze is thickened and the meatballs are fully cooked. Sprinkle with sliced green onions and serve over white rice.
Polynesian Meatballs Recipe Tips:
- You can substitute crushed Saltine crackers for the Panko crumbs.
- When shaping the meatballs, wet your hands with water or lightly grease them with oil so the meat doesn’t stick to your hands.
- You can mix the meatball ingredients together and shape into meatballs up to 8 hours ahead of time. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- Be careful not to overmix the meatball mixture or you will have tough meatballs.
- To make this dish spicy, add 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes to the glaze.
- Will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
- Can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Try These Other Meatball Recipes:
Polynesian Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup finely diced onion
- 3/4 cup Panko cumbs
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teapsoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Glaze
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 (8-ounce) can pineapple tidbits, juice reserved
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/3 cup finely diced green bell pepper
- sliced green onions for garnish
- rice for serving, optional
Instructions
- Combine all meatball ingredients EXCEPT oil in a large bowl. Mix just until evenly combined. Shape into meatballs that are 1 to 1 1/4-inchs across.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add oil, tilting pan to coat it with oil.
- Add meatballs to skillet and cook until browned on all sides. Remove meatballs from skillet and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together cornstarch and brown sugar. Add the pienapple juice, water, vinegar and soy sauce and stir until smooth.
- Add mixture, pineapple tidbits, and green pepper to the skillet and place over medium heat. Return meatballs to the skillet and coat in the sauce. Simmer until glaze is thickened and meatballs are cooked through. Add more water if glaze gets too thick.
- Sprinkle with green onions and serve over rice.
Notes
Nutrition
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I have made these several times & they are now my husband’s favorite way to eat ground beef. I actually used up ground deer meat and they are even better. Also, I usually use finely shredded fresh ginger in generous amounts and have skipped the green peppers when in a rush.