Slow-cooker sweet and tangy party meatballs
175 min · 28 g protein · 285 cals / serving
The potluck classic: small, tender meatballs glazed in the famous sweet, sticky and tangy sauce of chili sauce and grape jelly, sharpened with Dijon, cider vinegar and a shake of hot sauce, kept warm in the slow cooker so people can spear them all game long. Homemade lean meatballs carry it, and there is enough sauce to coat every one without swimming.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, plain dry
- 1/4 cup skim milk
- 1 small onion, grated
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Sauce
- 1 cup chili sauce, bottled tomato chili sauce
- 6 tbsp grape jelly
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp hot sauce, or to taste
To serve
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Steps
- Heat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment. In a bowl, mix the eggs, breadcrumbs and milk and leave for 2 minutes, then add the beef, grated onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper and mix with your hands just until combined; overworking makes them tough.
- Roll into about 40 balls the size of a walnut (a heaped tablespoon each) and set on the sheet. Bake 14–16 minutes, until browned and cooked through (160°F).
- Whisk the chili sauce, grape jelly, Dijon, vinegar and hot sauce in the slow cooker. Add the meatballs and stir gently to coat. Cook on high for 2–2 1/2 hours or low for 4 hours, stirring once or twice, until the sauce is glossy and clings.
- Switch to warm, scatter with parsley and serve with cocktail sticks straight from the pot.
Good to know
Grape jelly, really?
Yes. It melts into the chili sauce and becomes a sweet and sour glaze, and nobody guesses it. Apricot jam or cranberry sauce work the same way for a fruitier twist.
Can I use frozen meatballs?
Yes; that is how most people make them. Add fully cooked frozen meatballs straight to the sauce and give them 3 hours on high. Homemade lean ones have a better texture and a higher score.
Can I make them on the stove?
Simmer the sauce and baked meatballs in a covered pan over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring often, then keep warm.
Per
- Calories
- 177
- Protein
- (40%)
- 17 g
- Fat
- (26%)
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- (34%)
- 15 g
- of which sugar
- 9 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 512 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2282 kcal goes into the pot and 1644 g of ingredients comes out as about 1290 g of food: 177 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.