Description
A festive and delicious appetizer featuring tender meatballs coated in a sweet and tangy cranberry BBQ sauce, perfect for holiday gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 lbs (900 g) frozen fully cooked meatballs
- 1 can (14 oz / 397 g) whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup fresh cranberries (optional, for garnish)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Lightly grease the inside of a 5–6 quart slow cooker. Add the frozen fully cooked meatballs and spread them evenly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together cranberry sauce, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, honey, orange juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and black pepper until well combined.
- Pour the cranberry BBQ sauce over the meatballs. Gently stir until every meatball is coated.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 3–4 hours or HIGH for 2–3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meatballs are heated thoroughly to 165°F (74°C).
- If the sauce is too thin, remove the lid during the final 20–30 minutes of cooking and let it reduce slightly. Stir gently.
- For a Christmas presentation, add a few cooked cranberries and sprinkle freshly chopped parsley over the meatballs. If using fresh cranberries, simmer them in the sauce until softened before serving.
- Serve warm directly from the Crockpot with toothpicks as a party appetizer, or spoon over creamy mashed potatoes or rice for a comforting holiday meal.
Notes
- For best results, use frozen meatballs that are fully cooked.
- You can adjust the sweetness of the sauce by varying the amount of brown sugar or honey.
- This dish can be prepared a day in advance and reheated.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3-4 hours on LOW or 2-3 hours on HIGH
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 meatballs
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 480mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 30mg