Sweet n Sour Meatballs

This dish is packed with flavor! It has a bed of rice, seasoned vegetables piled on and is topped with sweet n sour meatballs and sauce. I love this sweet and sour sauce because it is super easy to make and can be made from ingredients that I always have on hand. I put a slight spin on my Mom's original meatball recipe to really amp up the flavor. I used mostly frozen vegetables that I buy fresh, and then blanch (excluding the corn and peas). This time when I made this I actually wrote down what I did, so I could share the recipe!

Sweet n Sour Meatballs

Meatballs                                                     
   -1 lb ground beef                              
   -1/3 to1/2 C oats                                         
   -1/2 minced onion                            
   -1 tsp minced garlic                          
   -1/4 tsp pepper                                    
   -1/2 tsp salt                                      
   -1/8 to 1/4 tsp ground ginger                        
   -1/4 to1/2 tsp ground cumin                      
   -1 tsp sesame seed oil                      
   -2-3 Tbsp soy sauce 
   -1 egg 

Seasoned Vegetables  
   -1 C corn                   

   -1 C peas
   -1 C chopped broccoli
   -1 C chopped carrots
   -1 bell pepper, diced
   -1/2 onion, diced
   -any other vegetables you'd like
   -salt and pepper to taste
   -1/8 tsp ground cumin
   -1/8 tsp ground ginger
   -2 Tbsp soy sauce
   -1 tsp sesame seed oil

Sweet n Sour Sauce                           
   -1 C brown sugar
   -1/4 C ketchup
   -1/3 C vinegar
   -2 Tbsp soy sauce

Meatballs
Dump all the ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly. Form into balls and place in a frying pan over medium to medium-low heat. Place a lid on top for more thorough cooking. Turn each ball every few minutes until all side are browned and the internal temperature of the meatball reads at least 160 degrees F.

VegetablesMix the seasonings (ginger, cumin, soy sauce, sesame seed oil and salt and pepper) in a small bowl and drizzle over the vegetables, stirring until all the vegetables are coated. Cook the vegetables in a large frying pan with a little bit of oil or butter over medium heat until desired tenderness is reached. 

Sweet and Sour Sauce
Place all the ingredients into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer for about 5 minutes.

When sauce is finished, mix in the meatballs, coating them completely with the sauce.

*For a thicker sauce*: Mix 2 Tbsp of cornstarch with 1 C of cold water. Whisk into the sauce and cook over medium heat until the sauce darkens in color and thickens. (roughly 5-10 minutes)

Plate cooked rice, then vegetables, and finally top with the meatballs and sauce. Enjoy!