2026 Hukilau Event

The suburban gourmet will tell you that any food becomes Hawaiian by the simple addition of pineapple. These meatballs, from Favorite Foods of St. Francis Families, are a chafing dish specialty from a local cookbook published in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. They make a good TV mini‑meal, or, like pigs in blankets or Swedish meatballs, a sophisticated party appetizer.

Hawaiian Meatballs recipe (Square Meals (1984) by Jane and Michael Stern)

Recipe from | Square Meals (1984) by Jane and Michael Stern book

Square Meals (1984) by Jane and Michael Stern

Makes 15 to 30 meatballs, depending on size.

Ingredients:

  • 1½ pounds ground beef

  • 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

  • 1 cup finely diced celery

  • 2 medium carrots, grated

  • 1 20‑ounce can pineapple chunks, drained (reserve juice)

  • 2 tablespoons salad oil

  • ½ cup pineapple juice (from can)

  • ½ cup vinegar

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce

  • ½ cup sugar

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • ¼ teaspoon pepper

  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger

  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

  • 2 tablespoons water

  • 1 8‑ounce jar stemless Maraschino cherries

Instructions:

  • Mix beef and seasoned salt. Form into rounds ¾ to 1 inch in diameter. In a very large skillet, brown meatballs with vegetables and pineapple in oil.

  • Remove meatballs from pan. Add pineapple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, and ginger. Bring to simmer.

  • Mix cornstarch and water; stir into pan. Return meatballs to pan, coating them with pineapple mixture. Add cherries with juice.

  • Simmer gently 15 to 20 minutes.

  • Serve in chafing dish to keep meatballs warm.

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Square Meals by Jane Stern (Author)

Square Meals by Jane Stern (Author)

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