Sheet Pan Sweet and Sour Meatballs with Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli
Dinner is served on ONE sheet pan with this simple and super tasty sweet and sour sheet pan meatballs recipe loaded with roasted potatoes and broccoli!
In the land of meals that are easy to make and taste amazing…but may not win you any gourmet food of the year awards…these sheet pan meatballs reign supreme. And I’m all about reigning supreme, especially if it saves my sanity from slaving over a fussy meal for hours (and spending even longer to clean up).
I’ll take my meatballs and sanity, thankyouverymuch, and leave the ritzy, glitzy dinners for someone else who deserves them.
Since my kids go insanely crazy for meatballs, this sheet pan recipe, inspired from one of our favorite meatballs recipes of all time, is a family favorite. The prep is simple, the cleanup is pretty darn fast, and I love that basically everything I need to serve for dinner is in one little place ready to be scooped up with a spatula, piled on a plate, and drizzled with a delectable homemade sweet and sour sauce.
Here’s a quick shoutout to a few other sheet pan dinner favorites:
Quick and Easy Sheet Pan Panini
Sheet Pan Unstuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu and Roasted Broccoli
Teriyaki Chicken and Veggie Sheet Pan Dinner
Sheet Pan Balsamic Chicken and Veggies
Have you made any of these? Sheet pan dinners are the best. The best.
A few tips for sheet pan success
-For this sheet pan meatballs recipe, I use lean or extra lean ground beef or turkey so the baked meatballs aren’t swimming in pools of grease at the end of the baking time. The liquid you see in the above picture is the sauce I brushed on the meatballs immediately out of the oven. It also helps to serve this meal almost right away out of the oven or at the very least remove the meatballs to a plate or serving tray if they won’t be served right away.
-The biggest trick for sheet pan dinners is getting all the varying ingredients to bake in the same amount of time. Cutting the potatoes to 1/4-inch pieces and keeping the meatballs around golf-ball size will help everything to finish cooking at about the same time.
-This recipe, made on a single sheet pan, serves about 4-5. For my family of 7, I double the recipe. This makes my hollow legged teenage boys happy and gives us a serving or so of leftovers. I split the doubled meatballs/veggies onto two sheet pans and use my convection oven setting (same temp) to bake both sheet pans at the same time.
If your soul requires easy recipes for weeknight dinners to attain complete happiness, I think you’ll like this one. Not a lot of fancy, but a whole lot of yumminess.
You could maybe even try lining the sheet pan with parchment paper for a super easy cleanup situation, but I might be a little sad for you if the vegetables don’t get some of that delicious golden brown roasting action on them. So choose wisely. 🙂
What to Serve With This:
*This really could be a complete meal in one without a lot of side dishes, but if you need a few suggestions, here you go!*
Honey Vanilla Yogurt Fruit Salad
Divine Breadsticks or Best-Ever Cornbread
One Year Ago: Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Two Years Ago: French Bread Rolls {Step-by-Step}
Three Years Ago: Pesto and Marinara Mozzarella Chicken Bake
Four Years Ago: Skillet Taco Pasta Shells {30-Minute Meal}
Five Years Ago: Lemon Drop Sugar Cookie Bars
Sheet Pan Sweet and Sour Meatballs with Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli
Ingredients
Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar
- ½ cup BBQ sauce (see note)
- ⅓ cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
Meatballs:
- ¾ to 1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs, I use panko
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt, I use coarse, kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, I use coarse black pepper
Veggies:
- 3 to 4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced small (1/4 inch pieces)
- 2 to 3 cups broccoli florets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place an oven rack in the middle or lower middle position.
- For the sauce, whisk together all of the ingredients in a small saucepan. Remove about 1/3 cup of the sauce mixture and set aside in a small bowl (you’ll use this to baste the meatballs). Simmer the remaining sauce for 5-10 minutes, stirring often (you can cook the sauce while the meatballs/veggies roast in the oven to maximize time).
- For the meatballs, in a medium bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients and mix until evenly combined.
- Place the potatoes in a single layer across the bottom 1/3 of a half sheet pan (a large rimmed baking sheet about 12X18-inches). Place the broccoli florets next to the potatoes in a single layer leaving the top 1/3 of the sheet pan for the meatballs. Drizzle the potatoes and broccoli with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Give the potatoes and broccoli a quick toss to coat with the oil and seasonings (keeping each vegetable in a single layer in their own section of the sheet pan after tossing).
- Lightly grease the remaining open spot on the sheet pan with cooking spray. Portion the meat mixture into about 8 to 10 meatballs (about golf ball size) and place them in two even rows on the remaining 1/3 area of the sheet pan.
- Brush the meatballs with the reserved sauce. Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through (165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer) and the potatoes and broccoli are tender. {You can flip the vegetables halfway through cooking, but I never bother.} Right out of the oven, brush the meatballs with some of the simmered sauce.
- Serve the meatballs and veggies with the remaining sweet and sour sauce.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (meatballs and sauce adapted from this archived Sweet and Sour Meatballs recipe)
61 Comments on “Sheet Pan Sweet and Sour Meatballs with Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli”
I made this for the first time about a year ago and it quickly became a family favorite! It makes it on our menu about once a month and was requested for a birthday dinner. Even though we are a family of 4, I still double it because everyone wants it on “leftovers night” later in the week!
So delicious! I did cook the potatoes for 15 minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients. The cookie sheets were very full of food, but everything still got cooked through. My family of 6 nearly polished a double recipe of this off. There was just enough left over for my husband to take to work the next day for lunch.
This turned out so good! The meatballs were nice and juicy, and I used Redmond’s Real Salt’s garlic pepper on the broccoli and potatoes. It was yummy!
Delicious! I make this all the time. Tried it with Trader Joe’s sriracha BBQ sauce recently and I’m now making it that way every time. Takes it to the next level. Also, I usually double the meatballs & sauce and freeze half with a baggie of sauce after cooking. Makes a super easy meal for the next week.
Thanks for the great recipe. You have me converted to sheet pan dinners. I got all the prep dishes done while it cooked. My husband and I both enjoyed this meal.
This dinner is soooooo good!! My 3-year-old exclaimed, “I love everything in this dinner!” And that’s saying something! Thanks, Mel!
I’m loving your sheet pan meals right now. They are bringing me life. This one was great. My kids love sweet and sour sauce, so this was right up their alley. They even ate the broccoli!
I am dairy free, will the recipe still be good if I leave out the milk? Or should it be substituted?
You could try using a dairy free milk…should work fine.
I must have done something wrong. The meatballs were delish but the sauce was way too vinegary! Next time I would use 1/2 the vinegar. I simmered it for at least a half hour
I’ve made this twice in two weeks, and I rarely repeat a recipe that quickly. My husband is not a huge meatball fan and he loved these. My two toddlers ate 4 meatballs a piece! This is one of the few sheet pan meals I’ve tried that actually cooks up evenly and not overly greasy. I switched the broccoli for green beans and had to cut the potatoes pretty small for them to finish in time. Also, for anyone interested in gluten-free meatballs, my husband is celiac and so I made the meatballs with rice crumbs from Trader Joe’s and it worked great. I have also used crumbs from gf bread or gf pretzels (made in a food processor). The rice crumbs have worked the best so far 🙂
Thanks for the review, Ingrid!
Mel, I would love to try this recipe but I am allergic to w-sauce? What do you recommend as a substitute?
You could probably sub in soy sauce or just leave it out.
Delicious! And easy clean-up! I will definitely make this one again. Thank you!
This was great! I used 1 pound of 85% beef. There was grease on the pan but it stayed right under the meatballs and worked out fine. My potatoes looked quite a bit smaller than your picture, and some of them were a wee bit crunchy, but we ate them anyway. I ended up with 12 meatballs. I forgot to brush them with the sauce until there was 3 min left of baking time, but they still turned out well.
Thanks for the review, Monica!
Loved this recipe and that it all cooks together on one pan! Thank you for another delicious meal!
Thanks, Haley!
Love your recipes MEL and your explanations behind the techniques!! 🙂 I have a love/hate relationship with vinegar, especially ACV. Any good substitutes for it in this recipe?
Hmmm…I can’t think of a good sub if you are wanting the contrast between sweet and tangy (for that sweet and sour vibe).
I was out of broccoli, so I substituted brussel sprouts. The meal was a hit!
Probably a silly question, but if I don’t have a convection setting, can I still cook to pans of this at the same time? If so, what do I need to adjust the time and temperature to?
Thanks!
You can try – they might not cook quite as evenly so you’d probably want to switch the baking pans to different racks partway through cooking.
So good, thanks for another winner! I’ve given up on all my other food blogs, and follow you and the girls over at OBB exclusively, and y’all never steer me wrong. I doubled, but just have a conventional oven, so I put it all on a 3/4 sheet pan. If you’ve never gotten your hands on one of those, I highly recommend them. Basically it’s the the full size of a typical home oven. I can do 2 dozen cookies at once, or a big sheet pan meal without crowding. I even tripled a bar cookie recipe and baked the whole thing together when I was putting together Christmas cookie plates… which may have been excessive, but it was delicious!
I’ve seen those pans around; my friend has them and uses them constantly. I need to get one (or two!)…they sound amazing!
Delicious! Due to the time schedule and wanting this for dinner I made the meatballs and bake them in the oven before hand and then at dinner time mixed up the sauce and reheated the meatballs in the sauce in a skillet on the stove. Thanks Mel!
Brilliant, Lachelle!
I wasn’t planning to make this. I was supposed to have meatloaf but didn’t have to enough time and my boys were hungry. I am so glad that I did. It was quick and delish. They wanted more meatballs. I made cauli-rice instead of potatoes and it was still good with the sauce. This will be made over and over-as most of your recipes are. Thank you!!!
Thanks, Sheila!
Do you mean for the potatoes to be cut in quarters? 1/4 inch pieces are really small
No, if the potatoes are cut into quarters they’ll take much longer to cook than the other ingredients. Dicing them small means they’ll cook in the same amount of time as the broccoli/meatballs. You can cut them larger and put the potatoes in the oven first and cook for a while and then pull the sheet pan out and add the broccoli and meatballs.
I needed a recipe with the ingredients I had in my fridge. Mel to the rescue again! Your website is such a blessing in my life!
Thank you, Viktoria!
This is a five star recipe! My husband asked what was for dinner and when I told him he said, “Is that one of what’s her name’s recipes?” YEP! Sure is.
I made a few adjustments by using few things I already had: premade, frozen meatballs, chopped red and yellow peppers and zucchini. Kinda cleaned out the veggie drawer in the refrigerator and didn’t need to go to the store for any ingredient.
Next time I will cook the potatoes for about 15 minutes before I add other veggies.
Haha, your husbands question made me laugh! And thanks for your review! So helpful for others wanting to make changes.
Do you think I could use the Costco meatballs and just make the sauce and everything else?
I’m not sure as I haven’t tried that…I’m a little worried the meatballs will overcook but maybe if you heat them separately that might help?
Does it matter if the broccoli is frozen when it goes in the oven?
I haven’t made this with frozen broccoli but I’ve roasted frozen broccoli before with good results. It *should* work pretty well
Also the recipe says to peel the potatoes, but all the pictures look like the peels are intact. Is it just preference?
Yes! I should have specified that in the recipe. I usually keep the peels on red or yellow potatoes since the skins are thin but it’s really a matter of preference.
Made these last night for dinner. Very well received. Your recipes usually are. The sauce is delectable. 😀 I’m adding this to our rotation. Great option for that extra pound of beef, without having to be tomato based.
I definitely think your recipes have made me a better cook. Not only are they reliable and consistent (barring any user tweaks), I’ve learned what builds a flavor profile, basic stove top and oven roasting techniques, the list goes on. Something that is so taken for granted these days. I actually enjoy cooking and experimenting.
Thank you so much, Andrea! I’m so happy you liked this sheet pan recipe, but mostly, thanks for your kind words. It really means a lot to me because I try so hard to only post the best of the best (the tried and true ones) and I know I can be wordy sometimes in my explanations, but it’s because I want everyone to feel what you do – that there’s a reason behind the technique and recipe. Anyway, thank you!
Tonight’s dinner! I just happened to have everything. It was really good! My daughter especially loves it, and she can be picky. Thanks for another great recipe!!
Thanks so much for checking in to let me know!
Is the recipe calling for apple cider or apple cider vinegar?
Apple cider vinegar.
Have you tried the non-stick foil? Life changing!!!
I think if you line the sheet pan with foil you should still get that crispy action and easy clean up… Looks great!
I was going to say the same thing. I always line my sheet pan with foil when making this type of dinner, and it works great. Potatoes, etc. still get crisp on the side that faces the foil. I spray the foil lightly with PAM first, so the food doesn’t stick. Such easy cleanup!
Thanks, Ellen!
We love your sweet & sour meatballs AND your chicken cordon bleu & broccoli sheet pan dinner. 🙂 Some of our favorites!
I’m so happy you love both of those recipes, Kathleen!
Yum! Your sweet and sour meatballs are one of our favorites!!
I think they are one of Brian’s favorite meals of all time (next to the sweet and sour chicken!)
Do you have any idea what the calorie breakdown would be for this recipie? I am trying to track macros and change up meal plans.
I’m sorry, I don’t track that information but you could plug the recipe into an online nutritional calculator to get the calories (it will vary depending on if you use ground beef vs ground turkey).
Hey Jana, I take that back. I just plugged this recipe into the Prepear app (where I store all my recipes) and for 5 servings, it’s about 395 calories for ground beef (93%).
In case any of your gluten free readers are curious, I have have great luck in the past replacing breadcrumbs in meatballs with gluten-free oats I have given a spin in my vita-mix. Looks like a fantastic meal, can’t wait to try.
Thanks so much for that feedback, Kate!