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Nothing says holiday flavors like cranberry. These Cranberry Glazed Crockpot Meatballs are the perfect appetizer for your holiday parties or even Thanksgiving leftovers!

Cranberry Glazed Crockpot Meatballs

Have you ever had a Thanksgiving sandwich? With turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce… these meatballs are an homage to that sandwich.

These cranberry glazed crockpot meatballs are an absolute must for your next holiday party or get together. I specifically wrote this recipe with Thanksgiving leftovers in mind. Instead of bread crumbs I use stuffing which helps keep the meatballs moist and juicy. Note *If you don’t want to prepare stuffing just for this or don’t have any leftover it is ok to use bread crumbs.

You can choose to make these with ground turkey or chicken, I have done both,  even ground beef!

Here is how to make them (full printable recipe card below) 

Prepare meatball mixture, roll and place on cookie sheet and bake.

Start the sauce.  Combine cranberries, sugar and seasonings with butter in a sauce pot on the stove. Bring to a boil, stir, reduce to medium.  Let the cranberries cook down until soft.

Add mixture to food processor or blender.  Pulse until smooth. Add water and additional sugar. Pulse until combined.  Pour into slow cooker.

Add cooked meatballs and heat on low for at least 1 hour. Reduce to “keep warm” until ready to serve or to hold.

Serve meatballs as an appetizer or as a meal with bread!  We toast baguette slices, it is delicious!

This recipe can also be easily turned into a stove top method.  Simply skip the slow cooker.  Add the meatballs to the pan and heat on medium low.

Yield: 6 Servings

Cranberry Glazed Crockpot Meatballs

Print

A fantastic way to use up some Thanksgiving leftovers,  these cranberry glazed meatballs are an easy weeknight meal. 

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

• Meatballs:
• 1 lb ground chicken, turkey or beef
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup stuffing, prepared
• 1 tsp each onion powder, garlic powder, sage
• Pinch salt & pepper
• Sauce:
• 1 bag whole cranberries
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar + 1/2 cup if needed
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp sage
• Pinch salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400
2. Mix all meatball ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Roll into 2 inch balls and place on cookie sheet.
4. Bake 10-15 minutes or until juices run clear.
5. In a large sauce pan- add water, cranberries, butter, sugar and seasonings.
6. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium and cook until soft.
7. Add to food processor and puree. If sauce is too thick, thin it out with 1/2 cup more water. Add sugar to taste.
8. Pour into crockpot, add meatballs, heat on low for 1 hour, reduce to "keep warm" to hold.
9. Serve with fresh bread or sliced baguette

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 250

Nutrition facts are auto- populated by the app for this recipe card, numbers may vary. For best results, input your exact brand ingredients into a recipe analyzer like Verywell or MyFitnessPal.

Another great holiday recipe, the kids will love this one !

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