Sweet and Sour Meatballs

I love this recipe.

I got it from my Mom (thanks Mom!) because I always loved it when she made them when I lived at home. I didn't really know at the time what was in it and when she told me I was a little unsure of the sauce but trust me IT IS DELICIOUS!

What I really like about it though is how it can be used as a main course or served as an appetizer. If you want a dinner out of it make larger meatballs, serve over rice and add a vegetable or salad on the side. If you want an appetizer make small meatballs and serve with toothpicks. I haven't tried it yet but I'm sure you could cook these in a crockpot as well! The options are clearly endless.

Feel free to get wild and even switch up the type of meat you use. My Mom typically uses ground beef because that is what my Dad likes but I  have tried it with ground turkey as well and they came out really good. The ground beef was easier make the meatballs with but I found was a little bit drier after cooking. Next time I will shorten the cooking time by 5 minutes or so and that should solve that problem. The turkey meatballs are a little more difficult to form (keep a bowl of water nearby and wet your hands after every few meatballs) but once they were cooked they were perfect! It is really is just a personal preference - get crazy and mix a few different kinds of meat together! And then please let me know how they turned out :)

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

- around 1lb of ground beef (or turkey, or pork, or a mix of any ground meat really)

- 1 egg

- 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic

- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (check out my homemade breadcrumbs!)

- 1/2 tablespoon basil

- 1 teaspoon black pepper

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1 14oz can of whole berry cranberry sauce

- 1 12oz jar of chili sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl mix together the ground beef, egg, garlic, breadcrumbs, basil, black pepper, and salt. I always mix by hand because it is easier to get all the ingredients combined in the least amount of time. I am a firm believer that the more you mix the firmer your meatballs will be! Mix as little as possible.

Form the mixture into whatever size meatballs you want to make.

Now this is where it got weird for me...When I think of chili sauce I think hot and spicy. That is not the case here. Trust me.

Empty the jar of chili sauce and the can of whole cranberry sauce into a bowl. Stir to combine.

Pour the mixture right over your meatballs.

Bake for 30 minutes COVERED. 


I served mine over some brown rice with a side of Caramelized Lemon Brussel Sprouts.

If you can contain yourself and save some leftovers they taste even better the next day!