Sweet and Sour Crock Pot Meatballs (Print Version)

Frozen meatballs simmered in tangy-sweet peach preserve sauce. Effortless slow cooker appetizer or main dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meatballs

01 - 2 lbs frozen fully-cooked meatballs

→ Sweet and Sour Sauce

02 - 1 cup peach or apricot preserves
03 - 1/2 cup ketchup
04 - 1/4 cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
05 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
06 - 1/4 cup light brown sugar
07 - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
08 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
09 - 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
10 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

# How To Make It:

01 - Transfer frozen meatballs into the bowl of a 4-6 quart slow cooker
02 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together peach or apricot preserves, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, ginger, and red pepper flakes until smooth and well combined
03 - Pour the prepared sauce over the meatballs and stir gently to ensure all meatballs are evenly coated
04 - Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW setting for 3 to 4 hours until meatballs are heated through and sauce is bubbling. Stir once or twice during cooking if possible
05 - Transfer to serving dish and serve hot as an appetizer with toothpicks, or portion over steamed rice for a main course presentation

# Top Tips:

01 -
  • You can start this with frozen meatballs straight from the bag, no thawing, no prep, no panic.
  • The sauce tastes like you simmered it all day, but it takes less than two minutes to whisk together.
  • It works as a fancy party appetizer or a weeknight dinner over rice, and nobody will guess how easy it was.
02 -
  • Do not cook this on HIGH unless you are in a rush, the sauce can scorch on the edges and the meatballs get rubbery.
  • Stir at least once during cooking or the meatballs on top stay dry while the bottom ones hog all the sauce.
  • If the sauce looks too thick after a few hours, add a splash of water or pineapple juice to loosen it up.
03 -
  • Use a slow cooker liner for the easiest cleanup of your life, you will never scrape dried sauce off ceramic again.
  • Taste the sauce before you pour it over the meatballs and adjust the sweetness or tang to your preference, this is your dinner.
  • If you are serving these at a party, keep the slow cooker on warm and stir every 30 minutes so the meatballs stay glossy and saucy.
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