Sicilian Sweet and Sour Meatballs consist of my mother's basic meatball recipe combined with a simple savory sauce of vinegar and sugar. Serve this typical Sicilian dish as antipasto or second course.
I had never heard of Sicilian sweet and sour meatballs until a few weeks ago. I recently posted a photo of my mother's meatballs (the best meatballs ever!) and one of my followers from my parent's hometown of Naso, Sicily responded telling me I should try them in a sweet and sour sauce.
He also mentioned they are a typical Sicilian dish. Without a doubt, recipes have evolved since my mother left Sicily over 50 years ago and this is not a recipe she was aware of.
You can imagine how intrigued I was! I'm well aware of the typically Sicilian method of cooking with sweet and sour flavors. Think eggplant caponata; sweet and sour quash as well as sweet and sour rabbit. So I set out to test this recipe.
Sicilian sweet and sour meatballs or polpette in agrodolce basically consist of my mother's amazing meatball recipe (with just a few small modifications) simmered in a sweet and sour sauce made up of red wine vinegar and sugar. These meatballs make for a delicious antipasto (appetizer) or serve as a second course along with a side vegetable.
Before I get to this recipe, here are a few clarifications about the ingredients I used as well as the debate of frying vs baking meatballs!
What kind of ground meat is best for making meatballs?
You'll notice that in most of my recipes calling for ground meat, I use a trio of ground meat just as my mom does. That is ground beef, veal and pork. This combination of meat results in extra flavorful meatballs.
Also, please note that the total weight of the combined ground meats is 500 grams (or just over 1 lb) and not 500 grams of each kind. I can purchase this combined ground meat trio already prepackaged at my local grocery store. You can definitely ask your butcher to prepare this for you if it is not sold already prepackaged. Alternately, you can always use 1 type of meat or a combination of 2 types if you prefer.
What do I mean by fresh bread crumbs?
All my meatball recipes, including zucchini ricotta meatballs; eggplant meatballs, stuffed meatballs or meatball stew call for fresh bread crumbs soaked in milk. Allow me to clarify what this means. I purchase a loaf of Italian bread at least one day before preparing my meatballs, hence the term bread crumbs from day old bread.
Actually, one day is the minimum. Bread that is 2 or 3 days old is ideal as the crumb dries out and then soaks up the milk best. I then proceed to cut off the crusts and tear up the crumb into small pieces either with my fingers or even in my food processor.
Why do I use fresh breadcrumbs instead of dried? Fresh breadcrumbs make the meatballs much more tender and less tough as compared to dry bread crumbs. And, this is the only way my mom prepares her meatballs! If you feel this mixture is too soft for your taste, simply stir in up to ½ cup of dried bread crumbs into your meatball mixture. 
What type of grated cheese do I use for my meatballs?
Once again, you'll notice most of my recipes specify a combination of grated Parmigiano and Pecorino Romano cheeses. This is also something I've learned from my mother. I pick out a hunk of Parmigiano cheese as well as one of Pecorino cheese and ask the person at the deli counter to grind them together. And always save those cheese rinds for soups and stews! This is something I grew up with but of course you may choose to use only one or the other type of cheese.
Frying vs baking meatballs:
I'm sure many of you may tell me that the only way to cook meatballs is to fry them! Indeed I have wonderful memories of the aroma of fried meatballs on a Sunday morning before my mom added them to the tomato sauce. She always saved a few tiny ones for us to snack on!
But alas, even my mother has become more health conscious throughout the years and has long stopped frying her meatballs. We now bake them until brown (about 15 minutes) before adding them to the sauce. I assure you they are just as delicious!
Of course you can proceed to fry your meatballs if you prefer. If you choose to do so for this recipe, transfer the fried meatballs on a plate and then proceed to prepare the sweet and sour sauce in the same skillet. 
Step by Step Instructions:
Prepare the breadcrumbs: Place bread crumbs in a bowl and pour milk (or a combination of milk and water) over the bread crumbs. Toss to ensure they are completely soaked in the milk. Set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Once you are ready to add them to the meatball mixture, squeeze out the excess milk.
Combine all ingredients: In a large bowl combine ground meat trio (beef, veal and pork) with the prepared breadcrumbs, grated Parmigiano/Pecorino Romano cheeses, an egg, finely minced garlic clove, freshly chopped parsley, olive oil and salt and pepper. 
Shape and bake: Shape into 24 balls. You'll notice the slightly flattened shape typical of my mom's meatballs. Place on a parchment covered baking sheet and bake in a 375 degree F preheated oven for 15 minutes. 
Prepare the sweet and sour sauce: Meanwhile, prepare the sweet and sour sauce. In a large deep skillet heat olive oil and a large finely diced onion as well as red pepper flakes (optional). Sauté on medium heat for 5-6 minutes. You don't want to brown the onions. In a small bowl stir together red wine vinegar and sugar. Add to the skillet and bring to a boil.
Add the baked meatballs to the sauce and carefully toss to coat them. Lower to a simmer, loosely cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. 
To serve, transfer the meatballs onto a plate and spoon the sauce over them. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Tips and suggestions:
- Add raisins and pine nuts, very typical Sicilian ingredients, to your meatballs for extra flavor and texture.
- Enjoy these meatballs hot or at room temperature.
- Serve them as antipasto (appetizer) or second course along with a side vegetable.
- Leftovers keep well refrigerated for up to 3 days.
If you try out this recipe let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating it in the recipe card below. Feel free to Pin it for later. Buon appetito!
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 3 cups bread crumbs from day old bread crusts removed and torn into small pieces
- 1 cup milk or combination of milk and water
- 500 grams ground meat trio beef, pork and veal (just over 1 lb)
- ¾ cup grated Parmigiano and Pecorino cheese combination (or only or the other if you prefer)
- ¼ cup freshly chopped parsley plus extra for serving
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- freshly ground pepper to taste
For the sweet and sour sauce
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion finely diced
- pinch red pepper flakes
- ¾ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- freshly chopped parsley to garnish
Instructions
For the meatballs
- Place the bread crumbs in a medium sized bowl, pour milk over them and toss to combine. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet by covering with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine the ground meat, cheese, parsley, garlic, eggs, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Squeeze excess milk from the bread crumbs and add to the meat mixture. Use your hands to combine all the ingredients.
- Shape into approximately 24 meatballs and place on the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes,
For the sweet and sour sauce
- Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet heat the olive oil and sauté the onion until soft, 5-6 minutes, on medium heat. You don't want to brown the onions. Add red pepper flakes, optional.
- In a small bowl stir together red wine vinegar and sugar. Add to the skillet and bring to a boil.
- Add the baked meatballs to the sauce and carefully toss to coat. Lower to a simmer, loosely cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes.
- Transfer meatballs to a serving plate and spoon the sauce over them. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley. .Serve hot or at room temperature.
Notes
- Add raisins and pine nuts, very typical Sicilian ingredients, to your meatballs for extra flavor and texture.
- Enjoy these meatballs hot or at room temperature.
- Serve them as antipasto (appetizer) or second course along with a side vegetable.
- Leftovers keep well refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Please note that the nutritional information provided is approximate and may vary according to exact portion size and ingredients used.
Frank Fariello
I'd never heard of these either, but I plan to get to know them real soon. I'm a fan of sweet and sour dishes, and this one sounds lovely. And yes, fresh breadcrumbs are infinitely better than dried, although I have to admit, in a pinch...
Nadia
Hello Frank, definitely worth trying especially if you do enjoy sweet and sour flavors. And yes, I'll have to agree with you, in a pinch dried will have to do!
Margaret @ Kitchen Frau
Those look absolutely delectable, Nadia. I love the sweet-sour combination of caponata that we discovered on our trip to Sicily a few years ago (such wonderful memories - and the food!). I can imagine how tasty it is with meattballs, too. Can't wait to try it!
Nadia
Hi Margaret, indeed I also love the sweet and sour combination and had never imagined it could work with meatballs. But it does! Hope you enjoy!
Anna Bucciarelli
Your mama's meatball recipe is exactly what my mama and I, my four sisters, have been making through our many years. Mama fried - my sisters fry - I bake,. True, I began married life frying but these days I bake - it does reduce the amount of fat that gets added to the gravy (sauce for those not from NYC), but what I do is drain off the fat from my baking sheet pan then scrape the remaining brown bits into the pot. I actually don't see a difference at all.
As for agridolce meatballs, I have never heard of them either but think it's a great idea and will be trying them for the coming holidays as part of my appetizers. As always, thank you for sharing, adding and improving upon my kitchen offerings.
Nadia
Hello Anna, indeed I always bake my meatballs as well and I'm fine with the flavor. Imagine my surprise when I learned about these agrodolce meatballs! I just had to try them and we were all pleasantly surprised about how tasty they are. Definitely worth a try! Hope you enjoy them!