Meatballs in Pineapple Barbeque Sauce

I love meatballs! I am always thinking of new ways to serve them. My sister got some pineapple barbeque sauce when she was in Maui not long ago. She was telling me how amazing it is, so I decided to try and make some myself.

It turned out great, a little tangy but sweet with a hint of heat! The sauce was perfect on the meatballs.    

What you need,

Click Here To Print

For the sauce,

½ cup cider vinegar

½ cup pineapple juice

½ cup ketchup

1½ tbsp. soy sauce

1½ tbsp. honey

2 tbsp. dark brown sugar

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

¼ - ½ tsp. red pepper flakes, depending how hot you like it

½ cup pineapple tidbits (I used canned but you could use fresh)

1 tsp. cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp. water

For the meatballs,

1 lb. ground beef

1 large egg

¼ cup panko bread crumbs

½ tsp. seasoning salt

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. onion powder

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

To make the meatballs, combine the beef, egg, breadcrumbs, and seasonings in a large bowl. Combine all the ingredients gently with your hands, don’t over mix. Shape the mixture into 1 inch balls.

I like to make my meatballs a few hours in advance and keep them in the fridge. I find they set up a bit and get crisper when you bake them.

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet well with non-stick spray. Arrange the meatballs in a single layer on the pan and cook for about 20 minutes until well browned and crisp. I turn the meatballs over halfway through cooking. Drain the meatballs on a paper towel before adding to the sauce.

To make the sauce, combine the vinegar, pineapple juice, ketchup, soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and red pepper flakes in a large pot.

Whisk until well combined. Heat over medium heat until the sauce comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and add to the sauce. Stir to combine; the sauce will thicken up very quickly.

Add the meatballs to the sauce as well as the pineapple tidbits.

Allow the meatballs to simmer in the sauce for about 5 minutes before serving.

I served the meatballs over rice with a simple green salad on the side. It was fantastic!

Now if you want to speed this whole process up you could easily use premade frozen meatballs. I always do a double batch of meatballs when I am making them, it isn’t much more work at the time and then you get another super easy meal down the road!

Enjoy!

Jen