Crockpot Cranberry Meatballs for a Crowd

Ella Cooks

Crockpot Cranberry Meatballs for a Crowd

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These are the party food I make when I want something hot on the table all night without being stuck in the kitchen. A bag of frozen meatballs, a can of cranberry sauce and a jar of chili sauce go into the slow cooker in the afternoon, and by the time the doorbell rings they're glossy, sticky and ready. Leave a cup of toothpicks next to the pot and people serve themselves. They cost very little, they feed a crowd, and they're still hot three hours later.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 4

Servings: 16

Course: Main Course

Calories: 219

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

▢ - 32 oz bag frozen fully cooked meatballs homestyle, Italian or turkey
▢ - 14 oz can jellied cranberry sauce
▢ - 12 oz jar chili sauce the ketchup-style kind, like Heinz
▢ - 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
▢ - Zest of 1 orange plus 2 tablespoons orange juice
▢ - 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
▢ - Sliced green onions or chopped parsley to finish

Method

How to Make Them

Make the sauce first. Put the cranberry sauce, chili sauce, Worcestershire, orange zest, orange juice and red pepper flakes straight into the slow cooker. Whisk until it's mostly smooth. A few small cranberry lumps are fine, because they melt as it heats.
Add the meatballs. Tip them in frozen and stir until every one is coated.
Cook. Cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 to 2½ hours. Stir once after the first hour so the sauce coats evenly. They're done when the meatballs are hot all the way through (165°F in the center) and the sauce is glossy.
Hold and serve. Switch to the warm setting, scatter over the green onions, and put out toothpicks or small forks.

Nutrition

Serving: 4meatballsCalories: 219kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 7gFat: 11gSodium: 699mgSugar: 14g

Notes

Feeding a Crowd

One 32 oz bag gives you roughly 60 to 64 meatballs, or about 16 people at four each. That's assuming the meatballs are one of several appetizers. For 20 guests on a buffet, one batch is plenty. If the meatballs are the main hot thing on the table, double the recipe in a 6-quart slow cooker and add an extra hour on low.

On the warm setting they'll hold happily for 2 to 3 hours. Give them a stir every so often so the top layer doesn't dry out. If the sauce gets too thick, loosen it with a splash of orange juice or water.

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