Cranberry Chili Sauce Meatballs
Description
Sweet, tangy party meatballs made with frozen meatballs, cranberry sauce, and chili sauce. Slow cooker, Instant Pot, Ninja HyperHeat, Ninja Foodi, stovetop, or oven.
Ingredients
- 2 lb frozen fully cooked cocktail meatballs
- 14 ounces jellied cranberry sauce
- 12 ounces chili sauce, such as Heinz
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, optional
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, optional
Instructions
- Add cranberry sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Add frozen meatballs and stir to coat.
- Cover and cook on LOW 4 to 5 hours or HIGH 2 to 3 hours, stirring once or twice, until meatballs reach 165°F.
- Switch to Warm and serve with toothpicks.
Equipment
- Crockpot, Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi
- Ladle
Notes
Stovetop: Melt the sauce ingredients together in a large pot over medium heat. Add the meatballs, cover, and simmer on medium-low for 20 to 25 minutes until heated through.
Instant Pot, Ninja HyperHeat, or Ninja Foodi: Add ½ cup water, then the frozen meatballs, then spoon the sauce on top without stirring. Pressure cook on HIGH for 5 minutes (cocktail-size) or 8 minutes (larger), natural release 5 minutes, then quick release. Stir and thicken on Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes.
Ninja Foodi air crisp: Air Crisp frozen meatballs at 390°F for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking halfway. Melt the sauce in the pot on Sear/Sauté, then toss the meatballs in it.
Notes
- No chili sauce: use 1 cup ketchup + 1 tbsp brown sugar + 1 tsp Worcestershire + ½ tsp chili powder.
- For cranberry BBQ meatballs, replace the chili sauce with BBQ sauce.
- Refrigerate leftovers up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1ServingCalories: 285kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 14gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 424mgPotassium: 335mgFiber: 1gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 212IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 19mgIron: 1mg