Sweet-Sour Meatballs

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The sauce makes all the difference to elevate these sausage and beef meatballs to epic snack territory. Try them at your next cocktail party or tailgate.

Sweet-Sour Meatballs
Photo: Andy Lyons
Prep Time:
35 mins
Bake Time:
25 mins
Slow Cook Time:
3 hrs
Total Time:
4 hrs
Servings:
6
Yield:
36 meatballs

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs

  • ½ cup fine dry bread crumbs

  • ½ cup finely chopped onion

  • ¼ cup milk

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

  • 1 pound bulk pork sausage

  • 1 pound ground beef

  • ¾ cup apple jelly

  • cup spicy brown mustard

  • cup whiskey or apple juice

  • 1 ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

  • Dash hot pepper sauce

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl beat eggs with a fork. Stir in next five ingredients (through pepper). Add sausage and ground beef; mix well. Shape mixture into 36 meatballs. Place meatballs in a shallow baking pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through (160°F). Drain off fat.

  2. Place meatballs in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. For the sauce, in a small bowl stir together remaining ingredients. Pour over meatballs. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or on high for 11/2 to 2 hours. Serve immediately or keep warm, covered, on warm or low up to 2 hours.

Pressure Cooker Instructions

Follow instructions above for making sauce and shaping meatballs. Lightly coat a 4- to 6-qt. multifunction electric or stove-top pressure cooker with cooking spray. Cook meatballs on medium, half at a time, until browned, turning to brown evenly. (For electric cooker, use saute setting). Drain off fat. Return meatballs to cooker. Pour sauce over meatballs; stir to coat. Lock lid in place. Set electric cooker on high pressure to cook 2 minutes. For stove-top cooker, bring up to pressure over medium-high heat; reduce heat enough to maintain steady (but not excessive) pressure. Cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat. For both models, release pressure quickly. Carefully open lid. If desired, sprinkle with crushed red pepper.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

635 Calories
36g Fat
39g Carbs
29g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 6
Calories 635
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 36g 46%
Saturated Fat 12g 60%
Cholesterol 169mg 56%
Sodium 1146mg 50%
Total Carbohydrate 39g 14%
Total Sugars 24g
Protein 29g
Vitamin C 1.6mg 8%
Calcium 63mg 5%
Iron 3.2mg 18%
Potassium 530mg 11%
Fatty acids, total trans 1g
Folate, total 18.7mcg
Vitamin B-12 2.5mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.4mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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