Hawaiian Meatballs with Red Pepper Mango Sauce

I have seen several recipes for sweet and sour meatballs, but all contained pineapple which I cannot have. I substituted with fresh mango and added spices as I went along - sometimes improvisation works better than set recipes! I hope you enjoy this fun, easy recipe as much as we did!

½ c diced white onion

1 lb ground beef

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

2 tsp minced ginger

1 tsp dried marjoram

½ tsp dried chives

1 tbsp olive oil

¾ c mango nectar

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 red bell pepper (cut into bite size pieces)

2 ripe mangos (cubed)

¼ c water

Prepare all produce – dice the onion, cut the pepper into bite size pieces (about ½ inch wide), cube the mango and set all aside.

Combine the onion through dried chives into a large bowl, mix thoroughly with hands and shape into meatballs (I got meatballs, some 1-inch wide some 1 ½ inch – choose the size you like). Warm olive oil into a large skillet, place meatballs in skillet and let brown on all sides until done (about 15 minutes).

Once cooked through, remove meatballs from plan and set aside. Drain excess grease from pan (keep any onions or caramelization that has formed). Place ½ c mango nectar into skillet and warm until simmers. While the nectar is warming mix the cornstarch and ¼ c cool water. Once nectar is simmering turn off heat and slowly add the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly until thickens. Add the remaining mango nectar and red pepper to mixture and heat on low for 5-10 minutes, or until peppers have softened. Add meatballs to warm through and serve immediately.

*We enjoyed this meal with fresh corn on the cobb – try grilling your corn for an extra treat! The boys also had biscuits with this meal, any gluten free bread or muffin would accompany this dish wonderfully as well.  

Enjoy!