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Slow-Cooker Cranberry Sweet and Sour Meatballs Made Easy

Slow-Cooker Cranberry Sweet and Sour Meatballs Made Easy

Tender frozen Italian meatballs simmer slowly in a glossy cranberry sweet-and-sour sauce made with whole-berry cranberry sauce, tomato-based chili sauce, brown sugar, and orange juice. Serve them warm as an appetizer or over rice for a simple main dish.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes
Total Time 4 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Meatballs
  • 32 ounces (2 pounds) Frozen, fully cooked Italian meatballs
Cranberry Sweet-and-Sour Sauce
  • 14 ounces Whole-berry cranberry sauce
  • 12 ounces Bottled tomato-based chili sauce
  • 1/2 cup Packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup Orange juice

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Place the frozen, fully cooked Italian meatballs in a 3- to 4-quart slow cooker. There is no need to thaw them first.
  2. In a medium bowl, stir together the whole-berry cranberry sauce, bottled tomato-based chili sauce, packed light brown sugar, and orange juice until blended.
  3. Pour the cranberry sauce mixture over the meatballs and gently toss or stir so the sauce coats them as evenly as possible.
  4. Cover and cook on LOW for 4–5 hours, or until the meatballs are hot throughout and the sauce is bubbling.
  5. If convenient, stir once or twice during cooking. Serve warm as an appetizer or spoon over rice for a main dish.

Notes

Use whole-berry cranberry sauce rather than jellied cranberry sauce for better texture and sauce cling. Use tomato-based bottled chili sauce, not Asian sweet chili sauce. Keep the slow cooker on LOW to help protect the sugary sauce from scorching.