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–+ servings
Filipino Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

A festive Filipino-style sweet and sour meatballs recipe perfect for both everyday meals and special occasions. This crowd-pleasing dish combines juicy homemade meatballs with colorful bell peppers and pineapples in a perfectly balanced sweet and tangy sauce.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Chill Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Chinese, Filipino
Servings 6
Calories 500 kcal
Difficulty Medium

Ingredients
 

For the Meatballs (Para sa Bola-bola):

  • 1 pound ground beef 80/20 chuck - karneng giniling
  • 2 slices white bread - tinapay
  • ¼ cup milk - gatas
  • 1 onion peeled and grated - sibuyas, kinayod
  • 1 egg well-beaten - itlog, binati
  • 1 teaspoon salt - asin
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper - paminta

For the Sauce (Para sa Sarsa):

  • 1 cup pineapple juice - katas ng pinya
  • ½ cup rice vinegar - suka
  • ¼ cup ketchup - ketsap
  • ½ cup brown sugar - pulang asukal
  • ¼ cup water - tubig
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch - cornstarch

For the Vegetables (Para sa Gulay):

  • 1 onion peeled and sliced thinly - sibuyas, hiniwa ng manipis
  • ½ red bell pepper cut into 1-inch chunks - pulang bell pepper
  • ½ green bell pepper cut into 1-inch chunks - berdeng bell pepper
  • 1 cup pineapple chunks - pinya
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil - langis

Instructions
 

  • Begin with the meatballs (bola-bola). Soak bread slices (tinapay) in milk (gatas) until completely soft. Tear into a paste to create a panade. In a large bowl, gently combine ground beef (karneng giniling), the bread paste, grated onions (kinayod na sibuyas), beaten egg (binating itlog), salt (asin), and pepper (paminta). Mix just until combined - overmixing will make tough meatballs.
  • Form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs using a small ice cream scoop (panukat) or wet hands. Place them on a lined tray and freeze for 15 minutes until firm.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the sauce (sarsa). Combine pineapple juice, rice vinegar (suka), ketchup, and brown sugar (pulang asukal) in a bowl. In a separate small bowl, mix cornstarch with water (tubig) until smooth.
  • Heat oil (mantika) in a large pan over medium-high heat. Briefly sauté bell peppers (bell pepper) until slightly tender but still crisp; remove and set aside. In the same pan, brown the chilled meatballs in batches until golden on all sides. Don't overcrowd the pan. Remove and drain.
  • Lower heat to medium and cook sliced onions (sibuyas) until soft. Pour in the sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Add meatballs back to the pan and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch mixture to thicken. Finally, add the bell peppers and pineapple chunks (pinya), cooking just 1-2 minutes more until heated through.
  • Let rest for 5 minutes before serving with steaming white rice (kanin).

Tips from Lola's Kitchen

  • Use day-old bread for better absorption
  • Panade (bread-milk mixture) is key for juicy meatballs
  • Wet your hands with cold water when forming meatballs
  • Don't overcrowd the pan when browning
  • Make sauce slightly sweeter if using fresh pineapple
  • Let meatballs rest 5 minutes before serving
 

Nutrition

Calories: 500kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 14gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 100mgPotassium: 306mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 388IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 2mg
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