Cranberry-Sauced Meatballs Appetizer

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Tender chicken or turkey meatballs studded with cranberries take on a glorious flavor when they're simmered in a snappy cranberry-flavored barbecue sauce.

Cranberry-sauced meatballs on a plate with celery
Cranberry-Sauced Meatballs Appetizer.
Prep Time:
30 mins
Cook Time:
2 hrs
Bake Time:
15 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 45 mins
Servings:
60

Ingredients

  • Nonstick cooking spray

  • 1 egg

  • ½ cup seasoned fine dry bread crumbs

  • ½ cup dried cranberries, snipped, or golden raisins, snipped

  • ¼ cup finely chopped onion

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder

  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves or allspice

  • 2 pounds uncooked ground chicken or turkey

  • 1 16 ounce can jellied cranberry sauce

  • 1 cup bottled barbecue sauce

Directions

  1. Lightly coat a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. For meatballs, in a very large bowl, beat egg with a fork. Stir in bread crumbs, dried cranberries or raisins, onion, salt, garlic powder, and cloves or allspice. Add ground chicken or turkey; mix well. Shape into 60 meatballs.

  2. Place meatballs in prepared pan. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until done (165 degrees F). (The internal color of a meatball is not a reliable doneness indicator. A poultry meatball cooked to 165 degrees F is safe, regardless of color. To measure the doneness of a meatball, insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of meatball.)

  3. Meanwhile, in a 3-1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker, stir together cranberry sauce and barbecue sauce. Add cooked meatballs, stirring gently to coat. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 2 to 3 hours or on high-heat setting for 1 to 1-1/2 hours. (Meatballs may be kept warm on low-heat setting for up to 1 hour more.) Serve with toothpicks. Makes 60 meatballs.

Make-Ahead

Prepare meatballs as directed through step 2, except do not bake. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours. Continue as directed in steps 2 and 3, using the maximum timings to bake and to heat in slow cooker.

Easy Cleanup

Line your slow cooker with a disposable slow cooker liner. Add ingredients as directed in recipe. Once your dish is finished cooking, spoon the food out of your slow cooker and simply dispose of the liner. Do not lift or transport the disposable liner with food inside.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

48 Calories
1g Fat
6g Carbs
3g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 60
Calories 48
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 1g 1%
Cholesterol 17mg 6%
Sodium 122mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 6g 2%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 3g 6%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 93mg 2%

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