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READY IN 5+ hrs

Sweet and Sour Meatballs I

Read Reviews (159)

"Meatballs in sweet and sour sauce." — Tammy Moore

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Original recipe makes 6 to 8 servings Change Servings

2 pounds ground beef
1 egg
1 onion, chopped
1 pinch salt

1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle chili sauce
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup grape jelly

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Directions

In a large bowl, combine beef, egg, onion and salt. Mix together, then shape into little balls.
In a slow cooker combine chili sauce, lemon juice and grape jelly. Stir in meatballs and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours.

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PREP 10 mins
COOK 5 hrs
READY IN 5 hrs 10 mins

Footnotes

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I made this for 250 guests at my daughter's wedding reception. It got rave reviews. I used frozen Costco meatballs but used the sauce recipe.(60 meatballs per batch) Chili sauce was quite expensive, so I substituted 2/3 catsup and 1/3 chili sauce. It tasted the same.(check the ingredients, almost identical) I made them in advance, and froze into gallon ziplock freezer bags. Then just re-heated and they were AWESOME! I have had several phone calls since reqesting the recipe. Thanks for the recipe Tammy!

—BBOOPINWA

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Jun 30, 2008

Try using whole berry cranberry sauce instead of grape jelly, it's awesome!

—HOPEBETHAN

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214 Ratings

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Jan 14, 2007

I made this recipe yesterday for a dinner party and it all went!! I have requests to make it for the upcoming Super Bowl and I had to email 5 copies of the recipe to friends. I used Sam's Club frozen meatballs and browned them in a little bit of soy sauce and a can of Dole pineapple chucks w/the syrup. While they were browning, I whisked together the Heinz Chili sauce, Smucker's grape jelly and the lemon juice. After that came to a boil I poured it over the meatballs in the pan and let simmer for 20-30 minutes. They were ready to go after that. I would have followed the crock pot directions but I woke up too late to start it in the crock pot. I think this will be the way I cook them from now on. Hope this is helpful:-)

—Rachael Ray Wannabe

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Jan 04, 2007

Ok have to admit it, despite very few bum steers from this group, I though you people were crazy, chili sauce and jelly? But needed something for office potluck, took in my slow cooker, frozen meatballs and heated them up in the sauce for a few hours then put out with all the other offerings. They were great and the only item that went completely and were raved about! A couple of the guys wanted me to make more and bring them in the next day! 2 thumbs up!

—Thornwood Mom

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Feb 04, 2007

I thought this was very easy to prepare and tastes good. I gave it only 4 stars because you really need to brown the meatballs in the oven or in a frying pan first. Then they won't crumble in the crock pot.

—Erika mom to 4 girls

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Oct 27, 2003

This dish is great! i usually bake the meat balls for 20-30 minues before i put them in to the crock pot .. to illiminate some of the fat... i make it at least once a month.. wonderful served over rice or egg noodles! Its very quick and easy..

—JENNGOFF

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Jun 23, 2008

It doesn't get much easier than this, and it was very good. I cut the recipe in half because I was only using 1 lb of ground beef. The sauce was quite tangy so I added a little extra grape jelly, as my husband prefers more sweet than sour. He and the kids liked these a lot. For the meatballs, I made my own using 1 lb ground beef, 1 egg, 1/4 c bread crumbs, 3/4 tsp seasoned salt, 1/4 tsp garlic powder and 1 TBS dried onion flakes.

—CaraMeg

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Mar 28, 2005

These were quite good. I used a 2-lb bag of precooked, frozen appetizer meatballs which was very convenient. I occasionally basted the top layer of meatballs to keep them moist since they were above the "sauce line" in the crock pot. Our oldest son especially liked these.

—ACPHIFER

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Nutrition

Calories
562 kcal
28%

Carbohydrates
37.5 g
12%

Cholesterol
140 mg
47%

Fat
35.2 g
54%

Fiber
0.3 g
1%

Protein
24 g
48%

Sodium
154 mg
6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Sweet and Sour Meatballs I

Serving Size: 1/7 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 7
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 562
Calories from Fat: 316

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 35.2g 54 %
Saturated Fat 14.2g 71 %
Cholesterol 140mg 47 %
Sodium 154mg 6 %
** Potassium 493mg 14 %
Total Carbohydrates 37.5g 12 %
Dietary Fiber 0.3g 1 %
Protein 24g 48 %
Sugars 29.9g
** Vitamin A < 1 %
Vitamin C 67 %
** Calcium 2 %
Iron 34 %
** Thiamin 6 %
** Niacin 81 %
** Vitamin B6 21 %
** Magnesium 8 %
** Folate 9 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.