I am a big fan of pineapple, especially when used in a savoury dish like these Hawaiian style meatballs! The meatballs are pretty standard with beef, onion, garlic, ginger, egg, and breadcrumbs so the pineapple sauce is the star of the show! The pineapple sauce is a spectacular blend of sweet, spicy, salty and tangy! The sweet aspect comes from brown sugar which also adds a hint of molasses, the spicy comes from chili sauce, salty from soy sauce and tangy both from vinegar and the pineapple itself! The sauce also has ketchup for extra fruitiness, garlic and ginger, Worcestershire sauce and toasted sesame oil for that amazing aroma! Cornstarch is used as a thickener and the sauce just clings to the meatballs and pineapple chucks coating them in pure tastiness! I like to serve these Hawaiian Meatballs over rice with a steamed vegetable, like broccoli.
Hawaiian Meatballs
Meatballs in a sweet, spicy, salty and tangy pineapple sauce!
ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 small onion, grated
- 1 tablespoon garlic, grated/minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, grated/minced
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs (gluten-free for gluten-free)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 (14 ounce) can pineapple chunks (juice and pineapple)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon garlic, grated/minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, grated/minced
- 1 tablespoon sriracha (or to taste)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
For the meatballs:
For the sauce:
directions
- Mix everything well, form into 2 tablespoon balls, place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400F/200C oven until cooked and lightly golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
- Toss in the sauce and enjoy!
- Mix everything well, bring to a simmer in a pan until the sauce thickens a bit, about 3-5 minutes.
For the meatballs:
For the sauce:
Option: Serve garnished with sliced green onions.
Tip: Cook rice or pasta while the meatballs bake to serve over.
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I followed this recipe to the T. The meatballs were very good but the sauce was nothing like yours. Yours has a dark, rich-looking sauce, and mine was not! I will be making more sauce to add to additional meatballs. Are there any suggestions you can offer me? Your recipes are always an inspiration to me. Norma Gedvillas
Hi Norma! Most of the deep colour in the sauce comes from the soy sauce, along with the red from the ketchup; I would guess that a lighter colour of sauce would come from a lighter coloured/brand of soy sauce.
On white rice with roasted broccoli, this made a good meal.
I made this with Impossible Beef – the plant based fake beef. It was delicious. I will make it again. I am also thinking of mincing up some shrimp and making it with shrimp meatballs.
This was a very tasty recipe. My family likes veggies in all their dishes, so I added grated carrot and baby corn. Served over rice. So delicious and easy to make!
Fantastic Dish! I used chicken instead of beef and added onions and bell peppers, sauted before throwing the sauce in. Served over rotini pasta with steamed broccoli. It ALL went well together and was satisfying.
Thanks