Cranberry Meatballs- The perfect appetizer for the holidays! You can use store bought cranberry sauce or I've included the recipe below for making homemade which you can use for this dish or any other holiday dish.
Cranberry Meatballs
1 lb ground beef, chicken, turkey, or pork ( or combo of meats)
1/2 onion, finely minced or grated
2-3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1/2 cup breadcrumbs or panko
1 large egg
1/4 cup milk
2-3 Tablespoons parsley or green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Sauce
1 cup cranberry sauce ( homemade or store bought)
1/2 cup ketchup or chili sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar, honey or maple syrup
Zest and juice of 1 orange ( save some zest for optional garnish)
Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, add ground meat, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, egg, milk, parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and gently mix together. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on the baking sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.
Meanwhile in a skillet: add cranberry sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, and zest and juice of an orange and cook for about a minute. Add meatballs and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.
To serve: Garnish with parsley or green onions and optional orange zest.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce:
12 oz bag (3 cups) of fresh cranberries, rinsed
1 Tablespoon orange zest
1 orange, juiced
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
In a saucepan, add cranberries, orange zest, orange juice, water, sugar, salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes or until cranberries have burst open and sauce has thickened, stirring often. Set saucepan aside to cool or place in the refrigerator until ready to serve. ( Note: if you prefer a thinner sauce, add some more water)