Sweet and Sour Crock Pot Meatballs (Print view)

Frozen meatballs in tangy-sweet peach preserves sauce. Effortless appetizer or main dish ready in 3 hours.

# List of Ingredients:

→ Meatballs

01 - 2 lbs frozen fully-cooked meatballs

→ Sweet and Sour Sauce

02 - 1 cup peach or apricot preserves
03 - 1/2 cup ketchup
04 - 1/4 cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
05 - 2 tbsp soy sauce
06 - 1/4 cup light brown sugar
07 - 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
08 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
09 - 1/2 tsp ground ginger
10 - 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

# Step-by-Step Directions:

01 - Add frozen meatballs to the crock pot bowl
02 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together preserves, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, ginger, and red pepper flakes until smooth
03 - Pour sauce over meatballs and stir gently to coat all pieces evenly
04 - Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours until meatballs are heated through and sauce is bubbling, stirring once or twice during cooking if possible
05 - Transfer to serving dish and serve hot as an appetizer with toothpicks or over steamed rice as a main course

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • You can start it frozen and walk away while it does all the work for you.
  • The sweet and tangy sauce clings to every meatball and tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen.
  • It works as a quick dinner over rice or a party appetizer that actually gets finished.
02 -
  • Do not cook these on HIGH unless you are in a real hurry, because the sauce can scorch around the edges and the meatballs dry out a little.
  • Stir gently when you check on them so the meatballs do not break apart, especially if you are using turkey or chicken ones which are more delicate.
03 -
  • Use a liner in your crock pot if you want to skip scrubbing sticky sauce off the sides later.
  • Taste the sauce before you pour it over the meatballs and adjust the sweetness or tang to your liking, because once it is cooking it is harder to fix.
Go Back