Sweet & Sour Turkey Meatballs

1. For the meatballs, preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat liner and drizzle on 1/2 tablespoon oil, spreading it around.
2. Add the beans to a large bowl and mash them coarsely with a potato masher. Use your hands to mix in all remaining meatball ingredients (except the remaining 1/2 tablespoon canola oil), but do not over-mix.
3. Use your hands to scoop out the meat mixture and roll it into meatballs (I make mine about 1 1/2 tablespoonfuls and I get about 25 meatballs). Line the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle on the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil.
4. Bake until fully cooked, about 20 to 25 minutes, flipping the meatballs once.
5. Start cooking the sauce when the meatballs have about 10 minutes left to cook. To make the sauce, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and onion, and cook until starting to soften and brown in places, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
6. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, honey, black pepper, and pineapple (with juices), and bring up to a boil. Once boiling, add the cornstarch slurry; let it come back up to a boil, stirring constantly, and then turn off the heat (the sauce will be thickened).
7. To serve, very gently toss the meatballs in the warm sauce (be careful so they don’t break up). Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle on the scallions, if using.

Note: Because of all the goodies (like beans and vegetables) added into these meatballs, they are a little more delicate than regular meatballs and I don’t recommend frying them, since they are likely to stick to the pan. They are absolutely perfect baked the way the recipe says though!