These easy sweet and sour meatballs are healthy meatballs baked in the oven and complimented with a delicious homemade sauce. The most satisfying Whole30 and Paleo meatballs recipe!
You've read here several times about our Whole30 experience. We tend to cook as many meals as we can during the week Whole30 style -- like these healthy meatballs -- so we can indulge on the weekends. It's not a strict diet we keep, unless we're doing a true Whole30 -- that we only did once. We've done 7 days and 14 days, but we finished all 30 days only the first time.
All that to say, you do not need to be on a Whole30 plan to enjoy these sweet and sour meatballs any time of the year! Opt out of the traditional sugary store-bought sauces, or ketchup laden meatballs, and give this Paleo meatballs recipe a try! You'll feel better about what you're eating, for sure!
Now you know here at Seeded at the Table we are not overly healthy, but we try to do it all in moderation. It's mainly about enjoyment and balance. Recipes like this stay in our regular rotation in order to combat our other moments of culinary pleasure. 😉
Do not let the "homemade" sauce part of these healthy meatballs scare you away! It is very easy to make the sweet and sour sauce by cooking the ingredients in a saucepan and then blending quickly into a smooth sauce in your blender. Very simple, indeed!
These meatballs are healthier because there are no breadcrumbs nor sugar in this recipe. Simple whole ingredients are the stars of this show. Use Medjool dates in the sweet and sour sauce to naturally sweeten -- a trick I learned when making Sloppy Joes during our initial Whole30 journey! It's a great way to make a healthy homemade ketchup.
Medjool dates are easy to pit. Just run a pairing knife along the side and remove the pit. Easy peasy! Do not buy pitted dates -- they're more expensive and not worth the extra money since it's so easy to remove them yourself!
This sweet and sour meatballs recipe yields quite a lot of sauce, because I love very saucy meatballs. I serve the meatballs over rice or cauliflower rice, then spoon even more of the sauce over top. You might want to call it meatball soup. Ok, no, it's not THAT saucy... but maybe that's an idea for another time!
Recipe Card
Healthy Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 egg , lightly beaten
- 2 green onions , chopped fine
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
For the sauce:
- 1 cup 100% grape juice
- 8 oz. can tomato sauce
- 6-8 Medjool dates , pitted
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 small yellow onion , chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
For the meatballs:
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Mix meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Roll into 1 ½-inch balls and place on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, or until done.
For the sauce:
- Meanwhile, combine all sauce ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook 2 more minutes, stirring frequently.
- Turn heat down and simmer for 10 minutes, until thickened. Stir occasionally.
- Carefully transfer sauce to blender or food processor. Blend into a puree, until smooth.
- Combine meatballs and sauce. Serve over rice. (Cauliflower rice for Whole30.)
Notes
Nutrition
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