Cranberry Meatballs

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!

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.

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:

Cranberry Meatballs

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

Ingredients

• 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!

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!

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–