Spicy Cranberry Meatballs: Perfect Party food

Spicy Cranberry Meatballs are the single easiest appetizer for entertaining.  Tender meatballs slow cooked in sweet cranberries with hints of orange and a little heat. Meatballs that will have all your guests asking for more!

Today’s recipe for Spicy Cranberry Meatballs are super easy to make.  If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I’m kind of obsessed with meatballs.  They are the perfect appetizer for entertaining.  I love them because you can offer several different options at a party, whether it be for a Holiday party or a game day celebration.

With crazy times I often use some leftover frozen meatballs from other recipes I’ve made  …..(I know that sounds like something impossible, but I usually make double and triple batches of meatballs so I can just thaw and use them when we have unexpected guests.)  A really great base meatball is the one in my recipe for Cheesy Gouda Meatballs!  If you use that recipe them just leave the cheese out because this recipe works best with a basic meatball.

The other option is to use a store-bought frozen meatball.  Gasp, yes I said it.  While I believe anyone can make great tasting food better from scratch, sometimes, like during the holidays I will reach for the bag of meatballs I bought from IKEA.  I use 2 pounds of them when making this recipe.  The frozen meatballs are already cooked so you can mix in the ingredients for the sauce and then pop them in the crockpot for entertaining.

I’m giving you the option in the recipe for Cranberry Meatballs below as to which works best for you.  I pulled out some of my homemade leftovers for the recipe in the photos, but don’t worry too much about using store-bought this sauce has so much flavor with the cranberry sauce, chili powder and sriracha you are fine using store-bought ones if you don’t have the time during the holidays.

You can mix them in the crockpot too… like I did here.

If you are looking for other meatball recipes to serve for the holidays my friend Jen at Take Two Tapas has a great Mediterranean Lamb Meatball here that is special enough for the holidays!  Or there are these Orange Chicken Meatballs from Lisa’s dinnertime dish that has an unexpected way to have Orange Chicken.  (Its like orange chicken from a Chinese restaurant, but cute little meatballs with the best part… the sauce!!)

If you are looking for recipes to have at a game day party… (bowl games, Super Bowl watching parties et al) I have these Buffalo Chicken Meatballs which are a much healthier way to have a variation on chicken wings.  I also have a bacon wrapped Blue Cheese stuffed meatball that will please all the bacon lovers in your house!

If you are looking for lots of other recipes to make for company or just to have your own Friday Night party at home please follow me on Pinterest or Facebook for all kinds of ideas.  Or if you prefer, sign up for my mailing list below to get updates when new recipes come out!

Hashtag any recipes you make from West Via Midwest #westviamidwestrecipes or tag me @michele_westviamidwest on Instagram to be featured on our stories!  

Yield: 8

Cranberry Orange Meatballs (slightly spicy)

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Spicy Cranberry Meatballs are the single easiest appetizer for entertaining.  Tender meatballs slow cooked in sweet cranberries with hints of orange and a little heat. Meatballs that will have all your guests asking for more!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds meatballs, (store-bought frozen, pre cooked)
• 14 ounces Whole berry cranberry sauce, Canned
• 1/4 cup Chili Garlic Sauce , (or Sriracha sauce)
• 12 ounces ketchup
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/3 cup orange juice

Instructions

1. Thaw meatballs for 30 minutes.  
2. In the bottom of a crock pot, (stove top directions in notes.) mix all in ingredients except for meatballs.  Mix until well combined.  
3. Dump meatballs over the top of sauce and stir to coat.
4. Turn Crockpot to high and cook for 60 minutes.  
5. Serve.

Notes

If making meatballs on the stove top, mix ingredients in the bottom of a large pan that will hold 2 pounds of meatballs. Then add meatballs and stir. Turn heat to medium high and warm for 20-30 minutes until meatballs are heated throughout and sauce has slightly thickened.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

8 Servings
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 436Saturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 843mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 1gSugar: 30gProtein: 19g

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