Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs
Sweet and tangy, these slow cooker meatballs make a delicious appetizer loved by both kids and adults for any party.
Ingredients
- 32 ounces meatballs 2 pounds beef, pork or turkey meatballs, frozen or fresh
- 14 ounces cranberry sauce About 1 3/4 cups cranberry sauce, canned or fresh works for this recipe
- 12 ounces chili sauce 1 1/2 cups, Like Heinz chili sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper ground, optional see notes
- 3 stalks green onion optional garnish
Instructions
- Place meatballs into the bottom of a slow cooker.
- In a small bowl mix together cranberry sauce, chilli sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder and cayenne pepper and mix well with a spoon.
- Pour the sauce over the meatballs. Cook on high for two to three hours or four to five hours on low, or until meatballs are warm all the way through.
- Switch to warm and serve meatballs directly from the crockpot.
Notes
This recipe is best cooked in a 6 quart, 7 quart, or 8-quart slow cooker.
Your favorite BBQ sauce can be substituted for the Heinz chili sauce if you prefer.
If your cranberry sauce or chili sauce is a little less then you need, it will be ok. Once I had a 12 ounce can of cranberry sauce. I just added about two ounces of water to the cranberry sauce jar and the chili sauce jar, rinsed them out, and added it to the slow cooker. The meatballs were delicious, no stress.
I have cooked 3 pounds of meatballs in this sauce also, and it was still enough sauce. If you have more meatballs then that you'll want to double the sauce recipe.
Depending on the amount of liquid in the cranberry sauce, sometimes the sauce needs to be thickened a little. To thicken the sauce remove the lid from the slow cooker, turn the machine to high and let the meatballs cook uncovered for 20-30 minutes.
Servings size is estimated on six meatballs from a 64-ounce frozen bag.
If you're having trouble blending the sauce, try microwaving it for 30 seconds to a minute and then blending. Sometimes this helps to break up the cranberry sauce further.
The cayenne pepper is only is a tiny bit of heat and helps balance the sweetness, but it can be left out. A pinch of ground red pepper flakes are also delicious in this recipe.
If your cranberry sauce or chili sauce is a little less then you need, it will be ok. Once I had a 12 ounce can of cranberry sauce. I just added about two ounces of water to the cranberry sauce jar and the chili sauce jar, rinsed them out, and added it to the slow cooker. The meatballs were delicious, no stress.
Nutrition
Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 247mg | Potassium: 193mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 126IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg