I have to be honest – this is my first time making homemade meatballs . . . and seriously, why haven’t I done this before?! They are easy!
The meatballs are then topped with a sweet, sticky sauce (made of surprise ingredients – grape jelly?! Who would have thought?!) and baked until they are cooked all the way through. We put our meatballs on top of quinoa, but you could put them over rice or even poke a toothpick in them and serve as an appetizer! However you choose to eat them, they are delicious!
Serves: 6
Sweet Polynesian Meatballs Recipe
We put our meatballs on top of quinoa, but you could put them over rice or even poke a toothpick in them and serve as an appetizer!
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion minced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- pinch crushed red pepper
- 1½ pounds ground beef
- ⅔ cup bread crumbs
- ⅔ cup milk
- 2 eggs beaten
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- pinch crushed red pepper
- ½ cup grape jelly
- 12 ounces chili sauce 1 bottle
- 3 cups cooked rice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add olive oil to large saute pan then add the onions and bring to a medium-high heat. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Then add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool.
- In a large bowl, combine beef, bread crumbs, milk, eggs, parsley, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Add in cooled onions.
- Mix well and form into golf-ball sized meatballs.
- Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and place the meatballs in rows.
- In a small saucepan, combine the grape jelly and chili sauce over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, or until it starts to bubble. Pour sauce over meatballs and bake for 1 hour.
Notes
- Also good served with quinoa, brown rice, or with a side of steamed vegetables.
Nutrition
Calories: 511 kcal · Carbohydrates: 65 g · Protein: 33 g · Fat: 11 g · Saturated Fat: 4 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 128 mg · Sodium: 1158 mg · Potassium: 764 mg · Fiber: 5 g · Sugar: 23 g · Vitamin A: 510 IU · Vitamin C: 13 mg · Calcium: 103 mg · Iron: 4 mg
Equipment
- Sauté pan
- Large Bowl
- 9x13 Inch Baking Dish
- Small Saucepan
Recipe Details
Adapted from Sugar and Spice Gals
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I bought everything to make this tomorrow and I'm really excited! One question I have is by "chili sauce" do you mean sweet chili sauce? I didn't know where to look to find it and that's the only thing that seems right. Also, I'm going to put the meatballs on cauliflower rice :)
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I made this last night and it is so delicious! It will feed my family of 3 (my husband, 18 month old, and me) for 3 whole meals. I steamed a side of broccoli and made cauliflower rice to put the meatballs on and it was so yummy. The only thing I may change for next time is making even more sauce to put over the meatballs, but it is also great as is. Thanks!
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I am wanting to make these as an appetizer. Can you put them in a crock pot to keep warm until party time without drying them out?
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I just made these..and I used the wrong chili sauce(I used the really spicy kind with chili flakes!) so I just threw some spaghetti sauce in with it instead. I just wanted to add that you can cook these in an instant pot for 5 minutes (saute meatballs first)! They came out perfect! Cant wait to try the correct recipe!
