I love meatballs and I love my slow cookers. Combine the two for a fabulous slow cooker meatball dinner that comes together in a few minutes and then cooks while you do other important things. Add rice and a vegetable for an easy and quick dinner.
I am a big fan of keeping a bag of frozen meatballs in my freezer at all times because they are so versatile. You can use them with pasta, of course, but you can also make things like slow cooker barbecue meatballs or in soup like Italian Wedding Soup or Meatball Minetsrone. These fabulous meatball sandwiches from Brandie at Homecooking Memories look amazing, too. Most of the time I don’t even need to defrost the meatballs so if I forget about dinner – we have meatballs!
I will admit though that making meatballs is not exactly my favorite kitchen task and I can’t wait until my kids are old enough so I can delegate meatball making to them. So in order to avoid having to make meatballs a lot, I usually make up a huge batch – like 5 pounds worth of ground beef. When making that large of a batch, I bake the meatballs in the oven at around 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the tops are nice and brown. I throw them in freezer bags in 1 pound allotments and I’m set for a good 3-5 meals.
I use a Hamilton Beach Programmable Slow Cooker to make a big batch of pineapple meatballs. But I’ve also made them in a smaller Crock Pot Slow Cooker especially if I’m making them as an appetizer. You want to make sure your slow cooker is roughly 2/3 full for the best cooking results and adjust your slow cooker as such.
Slow cooker pineapple meatballs are another delicious and easy way to make a quick meatball themed meal. I loved the sweetness of the dish paired with rice and a little soy sauce. These would also be great as side dish or appetizer for a buffet or even the Super Bowl!
Slow Cooker Pineapple Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked meatballs
- 1 20 oz can crushed pineapple
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons arrowroot powder or corn starch
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- Chopped carrots, onions or green peppers (optional)
Instructions
- Put meatballs and any vegetables in a 2 quart slow cooker.
- In a bowl, mix together pineapple, sugar, vinegar, corn starch and soy sauce.
- Pour sauce over meatballs.
- Cook on low for 3-4 hours.
- Remove lid and allow to cook for another 30 minutes (this helps the sauce thicken a bit).
- Serve over rice.
Adapted from Six Sisters’ Stuff.
This post is linked up to Savvy Southern Style and these other fabulous parties!