Food and Recipes Recipes Cranberry Sauce Meatballs By Southern Living Test Kitchen Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 20, 2022 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Kathleen Varner Active Time: 15 mins Total Time: 30 mins Servings: 10 These cranberry sauce meatballs are the perfect party appetizer with a tasty twist on the classic. We nixed the usual grape jelly and chili sauce and used jellied cranberry sauce and hot jalapeño pepper jelly. A package of frozen meatballs makes quick work of assembling this recipe, but feel free to make homemade meatballs if you have the time; whether you use beef, chicken, venison, or pork, this cranberry sauce is delicious spooned over any meatball. These little, two-bite appetizers are a nice balance of sweet, savory, and spicy. The little bits of fresh jalapeño that top the glazed meatballs add some great color contrast and a touch of raw heat to the meatballs. Cocktail meatballs are a classic in the South, and these sweet/sour/spicy cranberry meatballs will have your guests going back for seconds. To keep them warm for your gathering, put the meatballs in a slow cooker and keep on the WARM setting. You don't need a cocktail party to enjoy hearty meatballs, though. For a main course, spoon the meatballs and sauce over rice, mashed potatoes, or grits and serve with a tossed green salad and warm bread. Ingredients 1 (14-oz.) can jellied cranberry sauce 1 (10.5-oz.) jar hot jalapeño pepper jelly 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon) 1 teaspoon garlic salt 2 (1-lb.) pkg. frozen beef meatballs 1 small jalapeño chile, seeded and finely chopped 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Directions Whisk together cranberry sauce, pepper jelly, lemon juice, and garlic salt in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium, whisking until mixture melts and is well blended, about 4 minutes. Add meatballs, stirring to coat in sauce. Cover and continuing cooking over medium until meatballs are thawed and sauce is beginning to bubble, 6 to 8 minutes. Uncover and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring often, until meatballs are heated through and sauce is thickened giving the meatballs a glazed coating, about 6 minutes. Spoon meatballs on a platter; spoon additional sauce from pot over meatballs, and sprinkle evenly with jalapeño and parsley. Serve hot. Print