Oriental Meatball Salad
Submitted by pjm3sisters
Asian-inspired meatball salad with pan-fried beef meatballs, pineapple chunks, and crisp vegetables tossed in a sweet-and-sour sauce made with soy, vinegar, and white wine. Served chilled over shredded lettuce.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
20 minREADY
60 minThis retro Asian-inspired meatball salad hits every flavor note: sweet pineapple, tangy vinegar, savory soy sauce, and the richness of pan-fried beef in every forkful. It’s a chilled main course salad that eats like a meal.
Tiny ¾-inch meatballs cook quickly in peanut oil, then get tossed with pineapple chunks, green pepper, carrots, and celery. The dressing is where it all comes together: brown sugar, cornstarch, pineapple juice, white wine, vinegar, and soy sauce cook into a glossy sweet-and-sour glaze that coats everything.
The whole mixture chills before serving, which lets the flavors meld and the sauce thicken further. Spooned over shredded lettuce with tomato wedges around the edges, it’s a show-stopping plate that looks as good as it tastes.
Pro Tips
- Keep the meatballs small and uniform so they cook evenly. A ¾-inch ball is roughly the size of a large marble.
- Don’t skip chilling the mixture. The sauce tightens up and clings to everything better when cold. Room temperature and it just puddles on the plate.
- Use the pineapple juice from the can as the base for your sauce. It adds natural sweetness and body without extra sugar.
- Stir in the tomato wedges right before serving so they hold their shape and don’t go mushy.
Variations
- Swap ground beef for ground pork or turkey for a lighter version.
- Add water chestnuts or sliced bamboo shoots for extra crunch.
- Use rice vinegar instead of white vinegar for a mellower acidity.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine eggs and milk, stir in bread crumbs, onion salt and ⅛ tsp.
pepper.
Add ground beef and mix well. Shape mixture into ¾ inch
meatballs.
In skillet, cook meatballs in peanut oil about ten minutes or until done, turning frequently.
Drain the meatballs. Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Add water to reserved juice to make ¾ cup liquid. Combine pineapple chunks, green pepper, carrot, celery and meatballs; set aside. In a small saucepan combine brown sugar and cornstarch; stir in the ¾ cup pineapple liquid, wine, vinegar and soy sauce. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Pour hot mixture over meatball mixture. Cover and chill. To serve, carefully stir tomatoe wedges into meatball mixture or reserve tomatoe wedges and arrage along edges of plates. Place shredded lettuce on individual plates; spoon meatball mixture on top.
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