Description
Delicious homemade cranberry meatballs featuring tender turkey meatballs baked to perfection and coated in a sweet and spicy cranberry sauce. Perfect as an appetizer or main dish with a burst of tangy and savory flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground Turkey (or any ground meat)
- 1 small shallot, peeled and minced
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and grated
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons ketchup or tomato paste
- A dash of Worcestershire sauce
Cranberry Sauce
- 2 cups cranberry sauce (homemade or store-bought)
- ½ cup ketchup or your favourite BBQ sauce
- 3 tablespoons Thai chili sauce (Sambal Oelek or Sriracha)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and for easy cleanup.
- Prepare Meatball Mixture: In a medium mixing bowl, combine ground turkey, minced shallot, grated garlic, egg, bread crumbs, chopped parsley, grated Parmesan cheese, ketchup or tomato paste, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Mix everything thoroughly until well combined.
- Form Meatballs: Roll the mixture into 1 to 1½ inch meatballs and arrange them in rows on the prepared rimmed baking sheet to cook evenly.
- Bake Meatballs: Bake the meatballs in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until fully cooked through. Use a meat thermometer to ensure an internal temperature of 165°F for at least 15 seconds.
- Make Cranberry Sauce: While the meatballs bake, combine cranberry sauce, ketchup or BBQ sauce, Thai chili sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan or skillet. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens and reduces slightly, about a few minutes.
- Coat Meatballs: Add the cooked meatballs to the saucepan with the cranberry sauce and stir gently to coat each meatball. Cook until heated through.
- Serve: Serve the meatballs warm, garnished with chopped fresh parsley for a fresh finish.
Notes
- Store leftover meatballs in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and reheat gently on the stovetop or microwave.
- Adjust cooking time as needed depending on the size of the meatballs and oven variations to avoid over- or under-cooking.
- To keep meatballs warm before serving, transfer them into a slow cooker on the KEEP WARM or LOW setting.
- Slow cooker option: Assemble meatballs and sauce layers directly in the slow cooker without simmering the sauce on the stove; cook on low for 2-4 hours until cooked through.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 meatball
- Calories: 85 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 210 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
