Cranberry BBQ Turkey Meatballs
This recipe stems from my mothers own quintessential holiday recipe. I remember as a kid, that she’d always cook up these sweet and sour meatballs and bring them along to the company holiday, picnic, gathering, etc. I don’t really know what it’s called, but she’d bring along a large rectangular electric wok-like pan. She’d fill it with her saucy meatballs and plug it in. She’d then plunk down a bunch of thick wooden toothpicks and wait for the meaty little orbs to heat back up!
I remember sitting next to the pan, bored and dreading the holiday company gathering, and I’d quietly eat all the meatballs, while no one was looking. To this day, I don’t really know what she did, but they were juicy and sweet! I’m assuming they were meatballs floating in a mixture of ketchup and grape jelly, but I cannot recall. Whatever they were, they were delicious!
My own version of this recipe tries to achieve a similar thing, a sweet and tart sauce, but rather than using a can of grape jelly, I’ve gone a slight step further, creating something like a sweet and smoky Cranberry BBQ Sauce. These, were also delicious!
The moment after I took these photos, I set the meatballs on the counter and quietly ate them all, while no one was looking.
I might suggest making a double batch, when you DO make these. Half for you and half for the party people.
Happy Holidays!
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time1 hr
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 210.33666666667kcal
Author: DJ Foodie
Turkey Meatballs
- 2 tbsp fresh whole butter softened
- 1 small onion peeled and finely diced
- 4 each garlic clove minced
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp fresh sage chopped
- salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Cranberry BBQ Sauce
- 1 each orange
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
- 1 tbsp fresh sage chopped
- 1/2 cup reduced sugar ketchup
- 1/2 cup sugar free maple syrup
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp liquid smoke
- salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Pre-heat oven to 425 F.
For the meatballs ...
Sauté the onions and garlic, in butter, over medium-high heat. Add a little salt and pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes. A little brown color is fine. Once this is done, set aside.
Mix together the turkey, egg, fresh sage, salt, pepper and onion mixture. Combine well with your hands.
Roll small meatballs with your hands. 1/2 to 3/4 oz. per ball (about 15 to 20 grams).
Set your meatballs on a greased tray and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
For the sauce ...
Use a zester or the fine side of a cheese grater to zest the outside of the orange (just remove the orange part, not the white part). Place the grated orange skin (zest) into a wide sauté pan.
Juice the orange, removing the seeds, and add the juice to the pan.
Add remaining ingredients and simmer until the cranberries begin to break down and the sauce thickens, about 30 minutes.
Add your meatballs to the sauce and season with salt and pepper, to adjust seasoning.
Simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve!
Serving: 6g | Calories: 210.33666666667kcal | Carbohydrates: 13.008333333333g | Protein: 14.436666666667g | Fat: 10.706666666667g | Fiber: 3.305g