If you have plans of tailgating this fall, you definitely want to make these Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs! The cranberries and hint of cloves make these the perfect meatballs for a fall tailgate party.
Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs
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The beauty of these meatballs is that they only take a few minutes to put together, and you can keep them warm all day for tailgate snacking. Once the meatballs are done, turn the slow cooker to the warm setting to keep your meatballs hot and ready through the entire football game. The important thing is to keep the meatballs above 140 degrees until you put them in the refrigerator. Just place a probe-style thermometer down in the slow cooker. If the temperature drops below 140 degrees F, it’s time to turn the heat up on your slow cooker or wrap the meatballs up and put them in the refrigerator. (You sure don’t want anybody to get sick at your tailgate party!)
This recipe is adapted from one in “Slow-Cooker Christmas Favorites” by Gooseberry Patch. The holidays are so busy, who wants to spend too much time in the kitchen? Bust out your slow cooker, try these recipes, and spend time with your family instead!
I used store-bought frozen meatballs for this recipe. That makes it so fast and easy – just dump the bag of frozen meatballs in the a 6 quart slow cooker and you’re practically done. If you want, you can make your own meatballs and use those! These Handmade Freezer Meatballs would be perfect – just toss them in still frozen. If you are making fresh meatballs for this dish, brown them in a skillet (like in this recipe), then finish them in the slow cooker with the cranberry sauce.
If you really want a Thanksgiving feel for this recipe, you can substitute turkey meatballs instead of beef meatballs. Just use ground turkey when you make your meatballs instead of ground beef. (Not sure what the difference is between the ground meats? This article has all the information you need.)
Enjoy!
Free Printable Ground Beef Buyer’s Guide
Have you ever gotten confused at the grocery store when you’re trying to pick out ground beef for tonight’s dinner? We can help! This Ground Beef Buyer’s Guide has everything you need to know about buying ground beef, plus you can download a free printable cheat sheet to keep handy in your kitchen or your purse!
Tools for Cooking with Ground Beef
Every kitchen needs a few basic tools… These are ones that I use all the time when I’m cooking with ground beef!
- 5-Quart Saute Pan
- Mix and Chop
- 6-Quart Slow Cooker
- Instant-Read Digital Thermometer
- Probe-Style Digital Thermometer
3 Ways to Take the Fear Out of This Recipe
- Types of Ground Meat
- Why is Ground Beef Brown in the Middle?
- How to Convert Oven Times to Slow Cooker Times
3 More Recipes to Try
Printable Recipe Card for Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs
Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs
Ingredients
- 3 pounds frozen meatballs
- 2-14 ounce cans whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Place the frozen meatballs in a 6 quart slow cooker. Pour the other ingredients on top of the meatballs.
- Cover, cook on high for 30 minutes.
- Gently stir to coat the meatballs with the cranberry sauce, sugar, and cloves.
- Cover, and cook on high for 2-3 more hours until the meatballs are heated through.
- Turn slow cooker to the warm setting for serving. Monitor temperature with a probe-style thermometer. If the temperature drops below 140 degrees F, turn the heat up on the slow cooker or refrigerate the meatballs.
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That looks really delicious, amazing recipe!
Thanks, these meatballs are fantastic!