So the first “meal” I ever learned to cook by myself was Hawaiian-style meatballs. It was my favorite food when I was a kid, but my mom took hours to make it the traditional homemade way. I discovered this way in college when my three roommates and I went shopping… hungover.
It takes all of 8-15 minutes, if you cheat and do it my way, and who doesn’t love semi-healthy food on the quick? Plus it can survive in the fridge and be leftovers for at least five days.
What you need is:
- 1 large can of chunked pineapples with the juice
- 1 box of minute rice (I prefer white rice)
- 1 bag of pre-made meatballs, not Italian style (turkey meatballs work wonders as well)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons flour
How to make them:
- Begin to brown meatballs in a skillet on a medium/low heat setting.
- Drain juice off pineapples into mixing bowl, add in the flour and soy sauce. Mix together. (For a thicker sauce keep adding a little flour at a time and stirring.) Once sauce is mixed add it to the skillet.
- Cook rice as instructed on the box. (I use five-minute rice, so I start it at the same time as I brown the meat.)
- Once pineapple and meatballs are thoroughly heated and rice is finished, lay a bed of rice in a dish and scoop meatballs on top, and enjoy!
omg im making this tomorrow
Sounds good.
It sounds a lot like my mom’s recipe for Waikiki Meatballs. Her meatballs are from scratch, but usually we’ll make a big batch and then freeze them, so all you have to make the sauce. You can also use a pinch of cream of tarter to help the sauce thicken up really well. If you like a little more savory, you could put chopped or sliced bell pepper in it.
You just solved my dinner problem! I have way more leftover rice than I know what to do with, I have two cans of pineapple that have been sitting unused in my kitchen for way too long, and I have frozen Swedish meatballs. So thank you, thank you so much for this!
glad i could help this is my favorite go to recipe for quick easy food
I once fed 12 people at work this dish and even the guy who “doesn’t really like meat” thought it was awesome.
Do you add the pineapple to the skillet as well or just the pineapple juice mixture?
Confused about this too.
the pineapple goes in the skillet its delicious hot. I have tried it cold i don’t like it as well
When I made it a few nights ago I wound up draining the juice into a bowl, mixing in the soy sauce and flour (although I used corn starch), and then putting the pineapple chunks in the skillet to heat up.
nice and fast
You could totally make this vegan/vegetarian with the right kind of frozen veggie balls!
As someone who was raised in Hawaiʻi and is part native Hawaiian, what the hell are “Hawaiian style meatballs”?? This doesn’t resemble anything I’m aware of as far as Hawaiian cuisine.
Don’t you think that’s maybe a little bit culturally appropriative?