Sweet and Sour Crock Pot Meatballs (Printable version)

Tender meatballs in a tangy peach preserves glaze, slowly simmered to perfection in your crock pot.

# What you need:

→ Meatballs

01 - 2 pounds frozen fully cooked meatballs

→ Sauce

02 - 1 cup peach or apricot preserves
03 - 1/2 cup ketchup
04 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
05 - 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
06 - 1 tablespoon brown sugar
07 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
08 - 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
09 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Optional Garnishes

10 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced
11 - 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

# Steps to follow:

01 - In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the peach or apricot preserves, ketchup, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, garlic powder, ground ginger, and black pepper until the mixture reaches a smooth consistency.
02 - Place the frozen meatballs into a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker and pour the prepared sauce evenly over them, gently tossing to coat thoroughly.
03 - Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours, or alternatively on HIGH for 1.5 to 2 hours, until the meatballs are heated through and the sauce achieves a gentle simmer.
04 - Stir gently before serving and garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds if desired. Serve warm as an appetizer with toothpicks, or ladle over steamed rice for a complete main dish.

# Expert tips:

01 -
  • Zero chopping involved, which means you can literally set this up while still in your pajamas.
  • The sauce tastes like you spent hours developing it, but the slow cooker does all the work.
  • It works equally well as an elegant appetizer or a casual weeknight dinner served over rice.
02 -
  • If your preserves are lumpy or thick, smooth them out completely before adding to the slow cooker, otherwise you'll end up with chunks of fruit that never quite dissolve.
  • Don't cook these meatballs longer than 4 hours on LOW or they'll start to break down and the sauce becomes less silky and more concentrated.
03 -
  • Mix your sauce ingredients in a bowl first so you can adjust flavors before it touches the meatballs, rather than trying to tweak things inside the slow cooker.
  • If you want a thicker sauce, remove the lid for the last 30 minutes of cooking to let some liquid evaporate, but watch carefully so it doesn't reduce too much.
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