Cranberry Meatballs

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I'm loving having the kids home from school and just spending quality family time together. Looking for a festive appetizer for your New Year celebration? Here is a great twist on the classic meatball. It uses cranberry sauce which is just perfect this time of year. These can be served as an appetizer or an entree. If you are serving them as an entree, I like to pair them with rice or buttered egg noodles. If using them as an appetizer make them a little smaller and you have a perfect dish for your celebration. 

Cranberry Meatballs
Meatballs, fully cooked, check out our recipe below
2  tablespoons vegetable oil
1  medium onion, finely diced (1 cup)
2  cloves garlic, minced (1 teaspoon)
1  can (15 ounce) whole berry cranberry sauce
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3  cup honey
1/4  cup Dijon mustard
2  tablespoons brown sugar
2  tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2  tablespoons  soy sauce
1/2  teaspoons red pepper flakes

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and saute for a few minutes until soft. Add the garlic and continue cooking another minute until fragrant. 

Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer for 20 minutes.  Stir in your cooked meatballs and heat through.

Basic Meatballs
1/2  cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2  cup milk
1  small onion, finely chopped (3/4 cup)
2  eggs, slighly beaten
1/2  teaspoon dried basil
1/2  teaspoon dried oregano
1  teaspoon dried parsley flakes
3/4  teaspoon kosher salt
1/2  teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds ground beef

In a large bowl whisk together the bread crumbs and the milk. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add the onion, eggs, basil, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper and mix well. Add the ground beef and mix. Don't overwork or your meatballs will be tough. I use disposable food service cloves and get in there with my hands, they really are the best tool!

Form the mixture into meatballs.  I use a 1 ounce cookie scoop so mine are uniform.  It is about 2 tablespoons meat per meatball. This makes a larger meatball so if making as an appetizer use a smaller scoop, about 1 tablespoon meatball mixture. 

I like to cook meatballs on a broiler pan.  It is less messy and you use less fat to cook them this way. They will brown nicely and the fat will drain away. Line the bottom part of the broiler pan with foil for easy cleanup. Cook in a 375 degree oven for about 25 minutes until browned and cooked all the way through.

For some other great meatball recipes check out our Cheddar and Bacon Meatballs, Moink Balls and Swedish Meatballs.

Enjoy!

Kim

Linked to the following parties:
Katherine Martinelli New Year Recipes
Addicted to Recipes Scrumptious Sunday Link Party
Addicted to Recipes Keep Calm and Cook On ~ Appetizers