Sweet and Sour Crock Pot Meatballs (Printable Version)

Frozen meatballs simmered in tangy-sweet peach preserve sauce—perfect for parties or dinner over rice.

# Ingredient List:

→ 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

# Steps:

01 - Transfer frozen meatballs to slow cooker bowl
02 - 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 ensure even coating
04 - Cover and cook on LOW setting for 3 to 4 hours until meatballs are heated through and sauce is bubbling, stirring once or twice during cooking
05 - Transfer to serving dish and serve hot as appetizer with toothpicks or over rice as main course

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You can start it in the morning and forget about it until guests arrive.
  • The sweet-tart sauce clings to every meatball without any whisking or reducing on the stove.
  • It works as a fancy appetizer or a weeknight dinner over rice, depending on your mood.
02 -
  • Don't cook these on HIGH, the sauce can scorch around the edges and the meatballs get rubbery.
  • Stir at least once halfway through so the bottom meatballs don't stick or dry out.
  • If the sauce looks too thick after cooking, stir in a tablespoon or two of water to loosen it up.
03 -
  • Stir the meatballs gently so they don't break apart and turn the sauce cloudy.
  • If you want the sauce thicker, leave the lid cracked for the last 30 minutes of cooking.
  • Serve these straight from the crock pot set to WARM, they'll stay perfect for hours without drying out.
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