Yields:
6 Servings
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 Mins
Cook Time:
45 Mins
Total Time:
1 Hr
The best frozen meals to make are the ones that are easy to assemble, like this meatball recipe. Sweet and Sour Orange Meatballs taste like something you ordered from a gourmet Asian restaurant. The sauce is also made ahead and frozen right along with the meatballs, which makes dinner prep on a busy weeknight nearly effortless.
How can it get any better than that?
This make-ahead meatball recipe makes six yummy helpings that even the kiddos will love; double it and you’ll have enough for two nights.
Sweet and Sour Orange Meatballs
Don’t order cheap takeout. Make Sweet and Sour Orange Meatballs! Premade meatballs also make the best frozen meals for families on a budget. Simple ingredients. Easy instructions. Gourmet flavor. Hooray!
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Servings: 6 people
Calories: 640kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 egg
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 2 medium yellow onions finely chopped
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 ½ tbsp orange zest
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 ¼ cup teriyaki marinade
- ¾ cup sweet and sour sauce
- fresh chives for garnish
Instructions
- Add the beef, pork, egg, milk, flour, onions, parsley, zest, salt and pepper to a bowl. Use your hands to mix until well combined, but be careful not to over-mix.
- For the glaze, combine the teriyaki marinade and sweet and sour sauce in a separate bowl and mix well.
- Form the meat mixture into balls about 2 inches in diameter. Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper so that they are not touching. You should have 24 meatballs. Move the sheet pan with the meatballs into a freezer so that the pan is sitting flat. Freeze the meatballs for 4 hours or until solid.
- After the meatballs are frozen, transfer them to large zip-lock bags. Pour the sweet and sour glaze into small zip-lock bags and seal. Place the small bags inside the large bags with the meatballs and seal. Return the bags to the freezer until ready to use.
- When ready to prepare the meatballs, preheat the oven to 400F. Place frozen meatballs in individual casserole dishes or divide among 2 pie dishes (you should be able to fit 12 meatballs in one pie dish). They should be in a single layer, touching but not overlapping. Pour the sweet and sour sauce mixture evenly over the meatballs. Use a pastry brush to coat the meatballs so no bare spots are showing. Bake on a rack in the center of the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the meatballs are no longer pink inside.
- To serve, you can leave the meatballs in their casserole dishes if using individual dishes, but if you do this, make sure to place them on heatproof plates - and alert your dinner guests that the dishes are very hot! If plating, lightly toss the meatballs around in the baking dish before serving to coat them evenly in the sauce. Transfer 4 meatballs to a plate and spoon more sauce over them. Garnish with fresh chives.
Notes
For a full meal that is easy to make, pair Sweet and Sour Orange Meatballs with Crunchy Fried Rice.
Nutrition
Calories: 640kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 35g | Sodium: 1900mg | Fiber: 4g