I love the simplicity of Crock Pot cooking and so decided to take one of my favorite Viet dishes for a little recipe re-do. These meatballs are delicious and so easy to make with a slow cooker. You can’t go wrong with Crock Pot cooking; it’s super forgiving! Even if you cook the meatballs a bit longer than recommended, they’ll still be amazing. The flavorful pork, delicate crunch of the water chestnuts and hearty tomato sauce make for wonderfully unique-tasting meatballs.
These meatballs are really versatile and can be served as a main dish, small meal or appetizers. I also enjoy eating them as a sandwich. Use crusty French bread and add carrot and radish pickles, fresh cucumber, jalapeno and cilantro. Delish!
Watch the video below for instructions.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
1 lb ground pork (fattier pork makes for a moister, softer meatball)
1/4 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced water chestnuts
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp corn starch
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil
For the Sauce
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 minced garlic cloves
1/4 cup diced onions
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp Sriracha sauce
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the pork, onions, water chestnuts, cilantro, corn starch, black pepper, fish sauce and olive oil. Mix ingredients together using your hands. Do not over-work the meat mixture as this will make the meatballs tough. Use a cake pop baller or large spoon to scoop-out the meat mixture. Roll between your palms to form a 1-inch meatballs. Place the balls on a large plate or tray.
Set the Crock Pot to Low, setting number 2. Combine the crushed tomatoes, garlic, onions, sugar and hot sauce in the pot.
Gently drop the meatballs into the sauce. Cover with the lid and cook for 7-8 hours.
If a thicker sauce is desired, mix 2 teaspoons corn starch with 2 teaspoons of water until smooth. Pour the mixture into the tomato sauce and stir gently until well combined. Let cook for another 5 minutes.
Yields: 6 servings, approximately 27 meatballs
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Have you tried this in a pressure cooker? I’m wondering how long I should cook it for in an Instant Pot!
Hi Christine,
I cook for 10 minutes on Low pressure cook in the Instant Pot. I make them about the same size as in this recipe. Good Luck!
If cooking in a regular pot on the stove top, is it necessary to fry or bake the meatballs first? (I don’t have a crock pot.) Thanks for sharing your recipes and Happy New Year!
Hi Anh,
There’s no need to fry or bake the meatballs first if cooking over the stove. Bring the tomato sauce to a boil first and then simmer the meatballs in the sauce for about 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally and gently so you don’t break the meatballs. Enjoy the recipe and Happy Lunar New Year to you! 🙂
Hi Aida,
The roll cake uses the sponge cake recipe and here’s the link: http://runawayrice.com/desserts/sponge-cake-banh-bong-lan/
Good Luck with the recipe and please stop by and share your results.
Can ground beef be used in place of pork?
Hi Kristen,
You can use any ground meat of your choice. I often use beef or turkey. Good Luck with the recipe!
I’m absolutely love you recipes they are so so good it’s remind me of my mom cooking. Thank you so much for sharing.
Hi Phuc,
Thank you so much and I am delighted to hear you like the recipes. Most of these recipes are my Mom’s. I grew up eating her wonderful cooking. I am thrilled to have this place here to share these recipes. If you give any of the recipes a try I’d love to hear about it. Happy Cooking!
Can you verify the water chestnuts in your ingredients because I found two different ones on the web. Thank you !
Hi Tiffany,
Use 1/2 cup water chestnuts. You can always add more if you enjoy the crunchy texture. Thanks for your post!
Awesome looking meatballs! They look so good. I’m going to give these a try.