by Caitlin Saniga
This time of year, my family’s usually having some sort of get-together. Whether it’s my brother’s birthday, Fourth of July or visits from out-of-town relatives, we’ve got plenty of reasons to celebrate. And we tend to gather outside at a park or the picnic shelter down by the pond at my house. Slowly but surely, carloads of relatives show up, unloading a cooler of this or a glass Pyrex dish of that. This meatball recipe would be a hit at one of these events. Prepare the meatballs ahead of time, and bring them along to the party, keeping them warm in a plugged-in slow cooker. They’ll be gone before they have time to cool off anyway.
For the meatballs:
- 3/4 pound lean ground turkey
- 3/4 pound ground pork
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup panko
For sauce:
- 1 1/2 cups ketchup
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 20-ounce can pineapple chunks in juice, drained
Lining the baking sheet with parchment makes for easy cleanup.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. To make the meatballs, use your hands to combine all of the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl until just incorporated. Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 20 minutes or until golden and cooked all the way through.
See what I mean?
In the meantime, combine the ketchup, syrup, soy sauce, tapioca, allspice and mustard in the bowl of a large slow cooker. Stir the mixture together. Carefully add the pineapple chunks and meatballs, coating them in the sauce.
Cover the slow cooker with a lid, and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours. Serve with toothpicks.
Makes about 24 meatballs.
Meatballs recipe adapted from: Alton Brown
Slow cooker recipe adapted from: Crock-Pot Cookbook
Yum!!! Wow this looks good.
They look fab but wondering why you would have to bake them all the way through if you are going to slow cook for 5 to 6 hours?
Good question, Lisa! I cooked mine before adding them to the slow cooker because the original recipe called for frozen meatballs, which are usually cooked already. Maybe you could cut back on the oven time? I admit my meatballs stayed in the oven a little longer than I liked. If you do cut back on cook time and try this recipe on your own, please let me know how it turned out! I appreciate the feedback!
— Caitlin
Also, cooking the meatballs before putting them in the slow cooker could help them keep their shape and avoid falling apart.
— Caitlin