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Cranberry Meatballs

September 29, 2020 by Lindsay 11 Comments

These easy Cranberry Meatballs are a great way to use up leftover cranberry sauce and make the perfect appetizer recipe for a holiday party.

These easy Cranberry Meatballs are a great way to use up leftover cranberry sauce and make the perfect appetizer recipe for a holiday party.

Hi Friends!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends! We spent the morning at the park and then headed to my in-laws for Thanksgiving with the extended family. Squish made it through about 4 hours of fun before we headed home to get him a nap. My sister comes into town this morning for the weekend and then my parents will be here on Wednesday so we’ll be cooking up Thanksgiving #2 next week!

a

1st vs 2nd Thanksgiving

Yesterday I was in charge of bringing pumpkin pie and dinner rolls but at the last minute I decided to whip up an easy appetizer to bring along as well.

I made a batch of my mom’s Fresh Cranberry Sauce last weekend. We love it so much I usually make several batches between now and New Years. I ate it throughout the week but had a little bit left so I decided to add some to a batch of meatballs for a crowd-friendly cocktail appetizer.

These easy Cranberry Meatballs are a great way to use up leftover cranberry sauce and make the perfect appetizer recipe for a holiday party.

You could make a half batch of the cranberry sauce recipe linked above, use your own leftover cranberry sauce or even use a store-bought variety.

Here’s how you make them:

Print

Cranberry Meatballs

Cranberry Meatballs 5
Print Recipe

These easy Cranberry Meatballs are a great way to use up leftover cranberry sauce and make the perfect appetizer for a holiday party.

  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 25 meatballs 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 1/3 cup cranberry sauce
  • 1/2 cup onion, diced
  • 2/3 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg
  • Guacamole or extra cranberry sauce for dipping

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and use your hands to mix until well combined.
  2. Form into small balls (about 1 Tbsp each) and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.
  3. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until they reach 165 degrees F, flipping once.

Notes

If you are making these after a holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas and have leftover corn muffins or cornbread, you could try crumbling some up to replace the breadcrumbs!

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @theleangreenbean on Instagram

Like I mentioned above, if you’re making these after a holiday meal, you could try subbing some crumbled cornbread or corn muffins for the breadcrumbs!

I served these with guacamole and extra cranberry sauce for dipping. If you’re feeling bold, mix some extra cranberry sauce INTO the guac for an extra-amazing dipping sauce!

These easy Cranberry Meatballs are a great way to use up leftover cranberry sauce and make the perfect appetizer recipe for a holiday party.

[Tweet “Put your leftover craberry sauce to good use with these Cranberry Meatballs from @leangrnbeanblog!”]


 

Need more leftover ideas? If you have leftover dinner rolls, I’d highly suggest turning them into a French Toast Bake! Recipe coming tomorrow if I can get my act together today and take photos!

Got leftover dinner rolls from #thanksgiving? Cut them up and stick them in a 9×13 pan. Add some frozen berries (or leftover cranberry sauce!). Mix eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla and pour over bread. Use your hands to make sure it’s well mixed. Cover with Saran Wrap and pop in the fridge. In the morning, stick it in the oven and voila- breakfast is served. Sprinkle with some brown sugar before baking for an extra treat 😊

A video posted by Lindsay L, RD (@theleangreenbean) on Nov 26, 2015 at 5:59pm PST

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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Filed Under: Appetizer Tagged With: Breadcrumbs, Cranberry, Garlic, Ginger, Ground Chicken, Ground Turkey

About Lindsay

Lindsay Livingston is a Registered Dietitian and new mom from Columbus, Ohio. On her blog, she shares simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, workouts and snapshots of her life. Follow her on Twitter @LeanGrnBeanBlog and Instagram @TheLeanGreenBean and be sure to subscribe via RSS or email so you never miss a post!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious says

    November 27, 2015 at 11:23 AM

    These sound delicious. Love the guacamole dipping!

    Reply
  2. Margaret Molteni says

    November 27, 2015 at 4:32 PM

    I can never get enough Thanksgiving, this is such a great idea! I know my family would absolutely love this

    Reply
  3. Jess @hellotofit says

    November 27, 2015 at 4:58 PM

    What a great way to use leftovers!! I love seeing new ideas for “repurposing” leftover food 🙂

    Reply
  4. Ashley @ Fit Mitten Kitchen says

    November 27, 2015 at 5:21 PM

    Hello these sound AMAZING. Genius, seriously.

    Reply
  5. Les @ The Balanced Berry says

    November 28, 2015 at 12:19 AM

    These sound delicious Lindsay! I love cranberry everything, so I will definitely need to put my leftover cranberry sauce to good use 😉 can’t wait for the french toast recipe!

    Reply
  6. Michelle | A Dish of Daily Life says

    November 30, 2015 at 10:49 PM

    This is just brilliant! Thanksgiving is my favorite food holiday…love the idea of continuing it for just a little longer! 🙂

    Reply
  7. Erin says

    December 1, 2015 at 12:04 PM

    These look delicious! Out of all of the wonderful food at Thanksgiving, cranberry sauce is my absolute favorite!!

    Reply
  8. Margaret @ Simple Fit Foodie says

    February 3, 2016 at 10:55 AM

    Cranberry in meatballs?? What a great idea! 🙂 Sounds amazing!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Dinner Roll French Toast Bake says:
    November 28, 2015 at 12:00 AM

    […] use up some of those holiday leftovers. In case you missed it yesterday, be sure to check out these Cranberry Meatballs – a great way to use up some of your leftover cranberry […]

    Reply
  2. Transforming your Thanksgiving leftovers - My Freckled Life says:
    December 2, 2015 at 8:19 AM

    […] via The Lean Green Bean […]

    Reply
  3. Fun Festive Holiday Appetizers • The Heritage Cook ® says:
    December 7, 2017 at 6:02 AM

    […] Cranberry Meatballs from Lindsay of The Lean Green Bean […]

    Reply

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I'm a Registered Dietitian and mom of three from Columbus, Ohio. I use this blog to share simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, and an honest glimpse of motherhood!

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