Simple Three-Ingredient Cranberry Sauce Meatballs

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The holiday season is right around the corner, which means it’s time to start planning your menu for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve! Meatballs are a great go-to dish for any holiday celebration because they’re delicious and easy to eat. These simple three-ingredient cranberry sauce meatballs are the perfect mix of sweet and tangy — a great combination for your next holiday party.

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I have always loved meatballs, and making them in the crock pot is my favorite way to cook meatballs. Making meatballs in your slow cooker is so easy — just dump the ingredients in and let your crock pot do all the work. And with a simple appetizer basically cooking itself, you’ll have lots more time to work on other parts of your holiday meal.

Simple recipes are my thing. And this recipe really couldn’t get any simpler. You only need three ingredients to make these sweet and tangy cranberry sauce meatballs:

• Frozen meatballs
• Chili sauce
• Cranberry sauce

So, grab your three ingredients and keep reading to find out how to make these simple cranberry sauce meatballs.

How to Make Cranberry Sauce Meatballs

Start by placing your frozen meatballs in the bowl of the crock pot. I used Farm Rich meatballs and there were 26 in the bag. The meatballs will probably form two layers in the crock pot, which means you’ll need to stir your meatballs halfway through to make sure they all get cooked evenly.

After your meatballs are ready and waiting in the crock pot, it’s time to mix up the sauce. Add one bottle of chili sauce and one can of jellied cranberry sauce to a medium bowl. Whisk the two ingredients together until they’re well combined.

Pour the sauce over the frozen meatballs and stir until all the meatballs are coated. Set the slow cooker to low and cook your cranberry sauce meatballs for four hours, stirring halfway through the cook time to rotate the meatballs on the top layer to the bottom of the crock pot.

Finish by scooping the meatballs into a serving bowl or placing them on a platter with toothpicks for easy eating. No matter how you serve them, I’m sure these cranberry sauce meatballs will be a big hit at your next holiday party!

Questions About Cranberry Sauce Meatballs

While these slow cooker meatballs are simple to make, sometimes questions arise about the recipe and the ingredients. Here are the answers to some common questions about making cranberry sauce meatballs:

Can I make these meatballs gluten free?

This is always my biggest question when I’m looking at making a new recipe. The good news is that these meatballs can easily be made gluten free! I know of two different frozen meatball brands that have gluten free meatball options — Rosina and Cooked Perfect.

If you can’t find either of those brands in your store (I can’t), head over to my recipe for grape jelly meatballs. Simply follow the instructions for making the meatballs on that post and substitute the grape jelly in the sauce for cranberry sauce to turn those grape jelly meatballs in the cranberry sauce meatballs!

Can I cook these meatballs in the oven?

Yes! You can easily cook these meatballs in the oven instead of the slow cooker. Simply mix up the sauce and toss the meatballs in the sauce. Then, pour the meatballs into an oven-safe dish and bake according to the meatballs’ package instructions.

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