Meatballs with Peppers and Pineapple
Fresh pineapple and good-quality ground beef are key in this dish which combines the perfect flavors for an ultimate comfort-food winner.
Servings: 5 people
Calories: 385kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ onion, diced very fine
- 1 whole egg
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup Panko bread crumbs, or Regular Breadcrumbs
- 2 cups beef stock or broth
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ cup white wine, or vinegar
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon, cornstarch
- 1-½ cup FRESH pineapple chunks
- 2 whole green bell peppers, seeded and diced roughly
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, more to taste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- Canola oil, or Safflower oil for frying
- Salt to taste
- Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
- Cooked brown or white rice for serving
Instructions
- Combine1 pound ground beef, diced ½ onion, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper, ½ cup breadcrumbs, and ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper. Mix with hands until combined. Roll meat mixture into small balls and place on a cookie sheet (Do not roll too tightly). Freeze on the pan for 15 minutes to firm up.
- Mix together 2 cups beef stock, 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, ½ cup sherry (or vinegar), ⅓ cup sugar, and 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch.
- Chop your 1 ½ cups pineapple and 2 green pepper and set aside.
- Heat oil over medium-high heat. Roll meatballs in ¼ cup flour, then fry in two batches until nice and brown, about two minutes per batch. Remove meatballs and set aside on a separate plate.
- Pour off oil from pan and return pan to medium high heat. When pan is hot, throw in the chopped green peppers and cook for one minute. Add pineapple to pan and cook for one minute, stirring gently. Pour in stock/soy sauce mixture, then add meatballs back in. Stir gently to combine and allow to cook and bubble for a few minutes, or until sauce is thickened. (Your pan might be rather full here, but it only needs to simmer slightly to thicken. Add salt and crushed red peppers to taste. (Hint: this dish is yummy if it's a little spicy.)
- Serve over cooked brown or white rice with extra crushed red pepper flakes because it REALLY is better with a little extra.
Notes
I have not made this using ground turkey but if you do, still use beef broth as your base and I would add less breadcrumbs so the meatballs are not too dry. Also, my family loves the meatballs with peppers and pineapple over brown basmati rice. Serve it with your favorite rice.
Nutrition
Calories: 385kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 1182mg | Potassium: 588mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 285IU | Vitamin C: 46.9mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 3.2mg