Amish Sweet and Sour Meatballs. Combine raw ground beef meatballs, which are included with 3 basic ingredients, in a slow cooker and pour tomato juice on top to make a savory dish that I would never say no to.
Servings: 6
Amish Sweet and Sour Meatballs: Ingredients
Amish Sweet and Sour Meatballs
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2 pounds ground beef (80-85% lean)
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1 cup plain dry bread crumbs
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2 large eggs, lightly beaten
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2 cups tomato juice
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1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
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1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Instructions
Mix Meatballs
Put the ground beef, bread crumbs and beaten eggs in a large mixing bowl. Gently combine all ingredients with your hands and do not overmix in order to retain the meatballs tender.
Form Meatballs
Roll the mixture into meatballs of diameter 1 to 1 1/2 inches. You are supposed to have about 24 to 30 meatballs, depending on the size. Place them on a tray or plate.
Arrange in Slow Cooker
Put the uncooked meatballs into one tight layer in the side of your slow cooker. It is all right to have a few sit on top of others, but endeavor to keep them in a single layer to make them cook evenly.
Prepare Sauce
Whisk the tomato juice, brown sugar and apple cider vinegar in a medium bowl or large measuring cup until the sugar is dissolved. This plain concoction is your sweet and sour sauce.
Add Sauce
Add the tomato juice mixture to the raw ground beef meatballs in the slow cooker, making sure that every meatball is at least lightly sprayed and the liquid falls down between them.
Cook
Place the slow cooker cover. Bake the meatballs on LOW or HIGH for 6 to 7 hours or 3 to 4 hours respectively, until the meatballs are cooked and very tender and the sauce becomes slightly thickened around them.
Adjust & Serve
Taste the sauce and make adjustments based on your preferences by sprinkling in a pinch of brown sugar to make the sauce sweet or a splash of vinegar to make it tangy. Gently mix to cover the meatballs with the sauce, and serve hot in the slow cooker.