Homemade or frozen meatballs sauced with a cranberry barbecue sauce.
Cranberry Meatballs
Who doesn't love a sauced party meatball?
I know my husband (aka "The Cajun") sure does! You really have to reel him in to save some for other guests when he finds them on the table at any gathering. He does tend to get carried away when it comes to meatballs!
These Cranberry Meatballs are pretty popular around the major holidays when cranberries are in vogue. You certainly could make your own fresh cranberry sauce and yes, even chili sauce if you'd rather. I've actually got recipes up here for both.
We're going a little shortcut here!
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Here I'm using the convenience of frozen meatballs, but you can absolutely make those from scratch too if you'd rather. Some folks use a bottled barbecue sauce instead, but I prefer the tang of the chili sauce.
By the way... chili sauce is not what you think of when you think of the word "chili."
There are also no beans involved in chili sauce such as with a product called chili beans, and it's also not the same as the red sauce that we use in some Tex-Mex dishes, such as red enchiladas.
It's really a tomato-based condiment, somewhat like a dressed-up ketchup I guess.
Heinz Chili Sauce is my preferred brand though I've also bought others. It's a tomato based product, containing tomato puree, onion, garlic and other seasonings.
Here's what you'll need to make my Cranberry Meatballs:
- 1 (20-22 ounce) bag frozen meatballs or homemade equivalent
- 1 (14 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1 (12 ounce) chili sauce (like Heinz)
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Dash hot pepper sauce
Here's how to make them.
In a deep skillet, add everything except the meatballs; heat over high and blend. If you like a lot of sauce, double up on the sauce!
As you can see, even though this is a whole berry cranberry sauce, it's still quite jelled! Mash up the cranberries a bit.
Mix everything together well and heat to near boiling.
Add meatballs and stir to coat.
Cover, reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 30 minutes, or until meatballs are heated through thoroughly.
Hold over a very low heat or transfer to a small crockpot to keep warm.
Recipe may be successfully increased as needed.
For more of my favorite meatball recipes, check out the collection on my Pinterest page.
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