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These Slow Cooker Cranberry Balsamic Meatballs are perfect for a holiday dinner or party! Sweet, tangy and so easy!
Happy holidays friends! Ashley here from The Recipe Rebel one of my favorite things to see pop up on the holiday buffet table — meatballs!
Speaking of holiday buffet tables — can you believe we are here at the end of 2017 already? It seems that every year that comes goes by more and more quickly, especially as kids get older and life gets busier. I don’t know if I’m ready to ring in 2018 just yet!
I don’t know if meatballs are a regular at your holiday gatherings and special occasions, but around here they people would definitely notice if they were missing. They rank right up near the top of our holiday must-haves list!
The cranberry sauce makes this Cranberry Balsamic version perfect for Christmas or New Years. The balsamic vinegar gives the sauce a rich, deep, flavor and color and the slow cooker makes these perfect for entertaining. Any holiday dish that can be prepped ahead and doesn’t require the use of my oven gets extra points in my book!
That way, you actually get to wander around and mingle with your guests instead of slaving in the kitchen with a hundred different pots and pans and serving dishes as you are also trying to get the table set. Just set the crockpot to “on”, pour your own glass of bubbly and put your feet up.
You can definitely use either homemade or store-bought meatballs in this recipe. If I can find lean ground beef on sale, I will spend an hour or two making a whole whack of meatballs to keep in the freezer for a quick meal. But if this is more than you can handle during the holiday chaos, simply dump in a bag of frozen meatballs and call it good. I promise no one will ever know, and you’ll still be the hostess with the mostest 😉
Happy holidays!
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Slow Cooker Cranberry Balsamic Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 14oz can jellied cranberry sauce
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup low sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 lb precooked beef meatballs
Instructions
- In a 2-4 quart slow cooker, combine cranberry sauce, honey, vinegar, broth, corn starch, garlic, salt and pepper flakes with a whisk until relatively smooth.
- Stir in the meatballs.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours, until meatballs are heated through and sauce has thickened.
- Serve alone as an appetizer or over rice or mashed potatoes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This isn’t a meatball recipe It is a sauce recipe for meatballs.
I recently came to find your cranberry meatballs recipe. I made it and was so delicious. It was so easy to make and truly great tasting. I come to cook it with orzo. Because I love cranberries so much, I may try adding some dried cranberries next time. Thanks for such a great recipe.
Yum! That’s a great idea!
I clicked to get this recipe, found a second one I wanted to try also. So I just subscribed! Thanks, I’m looking forward to trying the recipes next week
YAY!! That is what I love to hear! I am so glad that you found two recipes to try! Let me know what you think! Thanks so much for following along with me! XOXO
Ooh I can’t wait to make these! I love making slow cooker meatballs for parties, but this looks perfect for a family dinner too!
Yes, they are so versatile! I love that they can be for appetizers, party food and even dinner for a family!! XOXO