Merry Christmas!! This is my favorite time of year and there is nothing I love more than baking holiday goodies and making Christmas party foods. Over the next 12 “business” days (weekends excluded). I’ll be sharing some of my favorite recipes and DIY, all related to the most special time of year. I hope you enjoy and you will have some fun sharing these with your families.
First up…Cranberry Meatballs. I feel I like every Christmas party needs a meatball appetizers. They were definitely at every potluck I went to growing up, so maybe it’s a nostalgic thing for me. We always had the classic grape jelly/chili sauce combo for meatballs growing up. Who else did this?? Is it a southern thing?
Here is a slightly elevated version with a Christmas twist.
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STEP 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
STEP 2: Place frozen meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet.
STEP 3: Bake for 15-20 minutes. I just do this to get any excess water and grease out of the frozen meatballs.
STEP 4: Prepare the sauce, by combing cranberry sauce, chili sauce, orange marmalade, water, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, brown sugar and red pepper flakes in a large Dutch oven.
STEP 5: Heat mixture over medium heat and cook until mixture is smooth, whisking occasionally. This take about 5 minutes.
STEP 6: Add meatballs to the sauce and stir to get meatballs coated. Let sit over heat until meatballs are heated through.
At this point you can add this to a crock-pot and set it on low for a hour or 2 before the party. You can serve in the crock-pot or transfer to a chafing dish or platter right before party starts.
TO MAKE AHEAD: Bake off the meatballs and let them cool. Transfer to a Tupperware and refrigerate overnight. Prepare the sauce and let cool. Transfer the sauce to a Tupperware and refrigerate. Combine meatballs in a crock-pot or dutch oven and let heat up on low for a couple hours.
What appetizer do you like to have at your holiday party???
PRINT RECIPE BELOW:
Cranberry Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 2 lb bag frozen meatballs
- 1 16 oz can jellied cranberry sauce
- 1 12 oz bottle chili sauce
- 1/4 cup orange marmalade
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Place frozen meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet.
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Bake for 15-20 minutes.
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In a large Dutch oven or pot, combine cranberry sauce, chili sauce, orange marmalade, water, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, brown sugar and red pepper flakes.
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Heat mixture over medium heat and cook until mixture is smooth, whisking occasionally. This takes about 5 minutes.
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Add meatballs to the sauce and stir to get meatballs coated. Let sit over heat until meatballs are heated through or mix together in a crock-pot and let sit on low for 1 and half to 2 hours until warmed.
Recipe Notes
To make ahead: Bake off the meatballs and let them cool. Transfer to a container and refrigerate overnight. Prepare the sauce and let cool. Transfer to a container and refrigerate overnight. Combine meatballs in a crock-pot or dutch oven and let heat up on low for a couple hours.
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