Prep Time: 40 minutes
If you are looking for a crowd-pleasing appetizer to serve during the holidays, your search has just ended! These polynesian meatballs is an appetizer all sweet-and-sour fans will devour. They feature water chestnuts that provide a satisfying crunch in each tiny bite. 🍴 Soy sauce, onion powder, and minced garlic are the only spices. Brown sugar is the sweetener, and one egg will bind these cocktail meatballs together.
Serve these delectable polynesian meatballs with an easy homemade sweet-and-sour sauce. Apricot jam, sugar, and pureed pineapple provide the sweetness, and the apple cider vinegar provides the sour. 🍎🍍 For the finishing touch, sprinkle in some paprika and salt. Serve this gorgeous apricot sauce over the cocktail size polynesian meatballs and garnish with fresh parsley sprigs and minced green onion. On the table, provide toothpicks for easy eating, and pour extra apricot sauce in a pretty container. Your guests will enjoy each succulent bite.
Polynesian Meatballs
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 80 small meatballs 1x
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Polynesian meatballs combine an apricot sauce with ground beef, water chestnuts, brown sugar, egg and spices to make the perfect sweet and sour appetizer.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 8 ounces water chestnuts, minced
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
For the Sauce
- 1 cup apricot jam
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup pineapple, pureed
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons cornstarch, to thicken
For the garnish
- a few fresh parsley springs
- 1 tablespoon of green onions, minced
Instructions
Making the Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Mince the garlic and saute it in butter until fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Mince the water chestnuts.
- In a large bowl, combine the garlic, water chestnuts, ground beef, soy sauce, brown sugar, egg, and onion powder. Mix together thoroughly with your hands. Shape into small balls, and place on a rimmed baking dish fairly close together.
- Bake uncovered at 375 F for 15 minutes or until browned.
- Drain meatballs on paper towels.
- Serve warm with apricot sauce. If needed, put meatballs and sauce in a small crock pot on low to keep warm.
Making the Apricot Sauce
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the apricot jam, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, pureed pineapple, paprika and salt. Stir well. Heat through.
- Make a slurry to thicken the sauce by mixing the cornstarch with a little water until the cornstarch has dissolved. Mix it in well with the sauce, and cook until the sauce has thickened some.
- Pour the sauce over the meatballs, then stir gently to thoroughly coat each morsel.
- Serve both the sauce and meatballs warm.
Notes
- For family members or guests that prefer their cocktail meatballs plain, serve the apricot sauce separately.
- Put in a small crock pot on low to keep warm.
- These freeze very well. Make them in advance, and take them out the day of your party.
- If you want this as a main course, serve the meatballs over rice and drizzle the warm apricot sauce over it all.