You might think a meatball is a meatball is a meatball, but these meatballs aren’t quite like the ones your grandma made. These ones are moist and light and surrounded in a sweet and tangy sauce that’s just the right touch of creamy. They’re so full of flavor that they might taste like an all-day effort, but you’d be wrong, they’re simple enough to throw together that they work for a weeknight meal. (There’s no day-long sauce simmering on the stove here.)

We’ve gone with a chicken based mixture for this meatball, which is delicately seasoned with some traditionals like breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, and parmesan. One not so traditional ingredient is a dollop of sour cream, which we’ve substituted for the milk that you might see in a meatball recipe. This still helps to keep the mixture moist but also adds a subtle tang to the meatball itself.

That subtle tang is echoed in the sauce, where sour cream is stirred into jarred tomato sauce. (Though of course, you could make your own if you’re so inclined.) That little hint of a sour bite balances out the sweetness from the tomato sauce so well and somehow brings out even more of the tomato flavor. The meatballs are pre-baked for a bit and then nestled into the sauce to finish simmering in the oven. They might not be your classic meatball, but we can also promise that they’re not dry, bland, or boring either.