Sweet and Sour Crock Pot Meatballs (Printable)

Frozen meatballs in tangy-sweet peach preserve sauce—effortless appetizer or main dish ready in 3 hours.

# What You 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

# Directions:

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

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • You can start it while half asleep and still pull off something that tastes like you planned ahead.
  • The sauce clings to every meatball and gets better the longer it sits, so reheating leftovers is a gift.
  • It works as a fancy appetizer or a weeknight dinner over rice, depending on how tired you are.
02 -
  • Stir gently or the meatballs will break apart and turn into a saucy mess, which still tastes good but does not look as nice.
  • If you skip the vinegar the sauce will taste flat and too sweet, so do not leave it out even if you think you do not like vinegar.
03 -
  • Use a slow cooker liner for the easiest cleanup of your life, especially if the sauce caramelizes around the edges.
  • Taste the sauce before pouring it over the meatballs and adjust the sweetness or tang to your preference, because every brand of preserves and ketchup is a little different.
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