Sweet and Sour Meatballs Sheet Pan Recipe
Finding quick and easy dinner ideas isn’t always easy. That’s why we love sheet pan meals so much! This simple sweet and sour meatballs recipe is the perfect one-pan dinner. Just prepare the ingredients ahead of time, store them in the freezer, and spread everything out on a big pan when you’re ready to cook dinner! After a few minutes of prep and a few minutes of cooking, your family will have a flavourful dinner to enjoy – even on a busy weeknight.
We’re on a bit of a sheet pan kick. Being able to take a freezer meal out and transfer it to the oven on a cookie sheet makes things so easy. Our other sheet pan dinners include Pesto Chicken and Veggies, Cajun Sausage and Root Vegetables, and Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas.
Sweet and Sour Meatballs Sheet Pan Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds frozen meatballs, pre-cooked
- 1 cup green beans, frozen
- 1 onion, sliced
- 14 ounces pineapple slices, drained
- 2 cups brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
Assembly Instructions:
- Place the meatballs, green beans, onion, and pineapple slices in a large resealable bag.
- In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and flour. Stir in the vinegar, water, soy sauce, and ketchup.
- Pour the sauce mixture into the bag with the meatballs. Squish the ingredients to combine the sauce, meatballs, and vegetables. Remove excess air from the bag, seal, and freeze.
Cooking Instructions:
- Transfer the frozen ingredients to the refrigerator to thaw.
- Spread all of the ingredients in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.
How Long Can You Freeze Sweet and Sour Meatballs?
After preparing your sweet and sour meatballs ingredients, you can store the meal in the freezer for up to three months. To ensure you enjoy your sheet pan dinner before it expires, make sure to label your freezer container with the name of the recipe, date of freezing and expected expiration date.
What Type of Meatballs Should I Use for Sweet and Sour Meatballs?
Since this dinner is made with frozen meatballs, it’s important to know what style of meatballs is best for this particular recipe. While Italian style meatballs are great for pasta dishes, the Italian seasoning and herbs used in this variety won’t blend well with the sweet and sour sauce.
Instead of choosing Italian meatballs, look for “homestyle” meatballs. This variety is made with neutral seasoning, which matches perfectly with the rest of ingredients in this recipe. If you can’t find meatballs labeled “homestyle,” simply check the ingredient list on the package to see what type of seasoning is used. Avoid options made with Italian style ingredients, like oregano and basil, which may clash with the sweet and sour ingredients in the sauce.
How Do You Store Leftover Sweet and Sour Meatballs?
Once you’re finished enjoying your meatball dinner, you can store your leftovers in the refrigerator. Transfer the cooked ingredients to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to four days.
Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave, oven or over low heat in a small skillet.
Sweet and Sour Meatballs Recipe Ideas
Your family is going to love the delicious combination of sweet and sour sauce with meatballs in this dinner. But if you’re looking for ways to change up this recipe, check out these easy substitutions and adjustments to try.
- Serve over rice or pasta. This simple sheet pan meal can be served as a dinner all on its own. But if you want to bulk up the meal a little more, try serving the sheet pan ingredients over white rice or cooked pasta. You can prepare the rice or pasta while the meatballs are cooking in the oven for a quick and easy addition to your dinner.
- Add more veggies. The combination of pineapple, green beans, and onions makes the perfect meal for your family. If you want to add even more flavor to your dinner, try mixing in a few more veggies before freezing the meal. You can add sliced bell peppers, corn, sliced carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, or peas.
- Make your own meatballs. Using pre-cooked frozen meatballs is a great way to speed up the prep work on this quick sheet pan dinner. But if you have some extra time on prep day, you can also make your own meatballs from scratch. Just prepare the meatballs according to the recipe, cook them, and allow them to cool completely. After that, you can transfer the cooled meatballs to the bag with the rest of the ingredients and follow the instructions in this recipe for freezing and reheating.
- Reheat in the slow cooker. If you have some extra time to cook your meal, try reheating your sweet and sour meatballs in your crockpot. Just transfer the thawed ingredients to the bowl of your slow cooker and cook them on low for six to eight hours.
- Serve as appetizers. With the help of some toothpicks, this quick sheet pan dinner also makes a great appetizer. Just stack a pineapple chunk and green bean on top of a cooked meatball, add a toothpick, and serve as bite-sized snacks at your next party.
- 2 lbs. frozen meatballs pre-cooked
- 1 cup green beans frozen
- 1 onion sliced
- 14 ounces canned pineapple slices drained
- 2 cups brown sugar packed
- 2 Tbsp. flour
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. ketchup
-
Place the meatballs, green beans, onion, and pineapple slices in a large resealable freezer bag.
-
In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and flour. Stir in the vinegar, water, soy sauce, and ketchup.
-
Pour the sauce mixture into the bag with the meatballs. Squish the ingredients to combine the sauce, meatballs, and vegetables. Remove excess air from the bag, seal, and freeze.
-
Thaw.
-
Spread all of the ingredients in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 400° for 20 to 30 minutes.
