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Cranberry Glazed Meatballs

Rose McAvoy
Tender meatballs dotted with festive cranberries and fresh parsley simmered in a sweet-tart sauce. Made with a combination of lean beef and ground turkey to make a (you won't believe this is) healthy appetizer for your holiday menu. Serve cranberry glazed meatballs as a hot appetizer or a festive entrée.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 50 meatballs
Calories 52 kcal

Ingredients
  

Meatballs

  • ½ cup low-fat milk
  • ½ cup plain bread crumbs
  • 1 pound lean beef
  • 1 pound lean turkey
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup grated yellow onion approximately 1 small onion
  • ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
  • ¼ cup finely chopped dried cranberries
  • 2 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Cooking oil – such as grapeseed

Sauce

  • 14 ounce can whole cranberry sauce or use 1-¾ cups homemade
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions
 

  • Combine the bread crumbs with the milk in a small bowl. Set aside to let them soften.
  • In a large bowl, combine meat, eggs, onion, parsley, cranberries, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add the softened bread crumbs. Mix gently using your hands to evenly combine the ingredients without overworking the meat.
  • Scoop the meatball mixture by a slightly rounded tablespoon and form into a ball. Arrange the balls side-by-side on a rimmed baking pan. Continue forming balls until all the mixture has been used. Keep the meatballs cold until ready to cook.
  • In a heavy bottomed pan, such as a 4-6qt dutch oven, combine the ingredients for the sauce and warm over medium-low heat.
  • To cook the meatballs: Cover the bottom of a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil then heat over medium heat.
  • Working in batches of 10 meatballs at a time, cook the meatballs for 3 minutes until the bottom is browned. Flip and brown for another 3 minutes on the other side. Transfer to the warm sauce and cover. Continue browning the meatballs and transferring to the pot of sauce until all the meatballs have been browned. Stir gently as needed to cover all the meatballs with sauce. Simmer the browned meatballs for 20-30 minutes until they are cooked through and the center temperature reaches 165F.
  • Serve immediately. Store leftover meatballs in the sauce, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Reheat over low heat in a sauce pan or microwave.

Notes

For a party you can keep the cranberry glazed meatballs hot in a slow cooker. You can also make this recipe ahead and store in the refrigerator for a few days. Warm the cooked meatballs covered in the oven at about 300F, in a pan on the stove-top over low heat, or in a slow cooker on high for 2-3 hours