Stovetop Cranberry Meatballs with Chili Sauce (Print-Friendly Version)
Jellied cranberry sauce and bottled chili sauce make a sweet-tangy coating for fully cooked frozen meatballs. Warm the sauce first, then heat the meatballs gently under a lid. Their centers must be hot before serving; a bubbling sauce does not establish that frozen meatballs have heated through.
ADVERTISEMENT
in-article · In-Article — 336x280 / 300x250 desktop · 300x250 / 320x50 mobile
House placeholder — AdSense units launch here# Ingredients You’ll Need:
→ Sauce
01 -
1 can (14 oz) jellied cranberry sauce
02 -
1 bottle (12 oz) chili sauce
03 -
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
04 -
1 teaspoon garlic powder
05 -
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
→ Meatballs
06 -
1 bag (32 oz) frozen pre-cooked beef or turkey meatballs
# How to Make It:
01 -
Combine cranberry sauce, tomato-based chili sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder and pepper in a large saucepan or deep skillet. Warm over medium heat, breaking up the jelly and stirring until the sauce is smooth. Add the fully cooked frozen meatballs and turn them gently in the sauce. Cover and reduce to a gentle simmer.
02 -
Cook for about fifteen to twenty minutes as an initial estimate, stirring periodically and following any longer package reheating requirement. Check several meatball centers reach 165°F, continuing as needed. Add a small splash of water if the sauce thickens before the centers are hot. Serve promptly or transfer fully heated meatballs to suitable hot-holding equipment.
# Extra Suggestions:
01 -
Use the twelve-ounce bottled tomato-based chili sauce commonly served as a condiment. Start with frozen fully cooked meatballs, not raw meatballs shaped at home. Stir the cranberry sauce, tomato-based chili sauce and sugar smooth before adding them; the chili sauce here is a ketchup-like condiment, not concentrated hot sauce. Keep the covered pan at a gentle simmer and turn the meatballs through the sauce so the upper layer heats evenly. The clock is an estimate: follow the package reheating instructions and check the centers reach 165°F. Thin a sauce that catches on the bottom with a small splash of water, rather than raising the heat. Transfer only a small serving portion to the table and keep the rest hot or refrigerate promptly.