Holiday parties are on the horizon. I like to have a crowd pleasing appetizer on hand, whether I’m attending a party or hosting. These cranberry meatballs are savory, tangy, and a little bit spicy. The festive color is perfect for a Christmas party. I fully admit that my husband doubted me when I said I was developing a recipe for Cranberry Meatballs. He is generally not a fan of sweet and savory flavors mixed together. These are definitely more tangy than sweet. My whole family enjoyed them, including my (very surprised) husband.
THE MEATBALLS
I know that you can buy a bag of meatballs at Sam’s Club or Walmart. That’s convenient. I won’t argue against that, but those meatballs also come with unwanted ingredients including soy flour, maltodextrin, corn syrup solids, sodium polyphosphate, and the ever elusive “natural flavors”. We can do better. Real food is always better. It’s better for you and it tastes better too.
Previously on Spring Forest Farm’s website, I wrote a recipe for Greek Meatballs. In that recipe, I use fresh herbs as well as grated lemon peel and a bit of lemon juice. They are so fresh and flavorful! So when I decided to make these Cranberry Meatballs, I went with a similar approach. I changed the herbs from mint and parsley to thyme and parsley. I also changed the citrus from lemon to orange. These meatballs can stand on their own without the sauce, if you so choose.
THE SAUCE
To make the sauce, I start with my basic cranberry sauce recipe. It’s the exact cranberry sauce that I put on the table at Thanksgiving. I like to make it at home from scratch because it doesn’t have any processed sugar or high fructose corn syrup. It’s tangy and mildly sweet. I take a cup of that homemade cranberry sauce and add barbecue sauce, a hint of sriracha sauce, and a bit of orange juice to thin everything out. This mixture becomes the sauce in which I place the cooked meatballs.
SERVING AND SAVING
You can serve these meatballs with just a light coating of the cranberry sauce or you can spoon a thicker amount over the top of each. If eating with a toothpick, they’re easier to eat with just a little of the sauce.
These meatballs freeze well. You can freeze them dry after cooking and add the sauce later, or you can freeze the meatballs in the sauce. Either way, make a big batch and set some aside. It’s so much more time efficient to make a lot at once.
As always, make this recipe your own! Learn, adapt, and enjoy!
Gluten Free Cranberry Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
– 1.5-2 lbs ground beef
– 1 small onion, grated
– 1 orange, zested
– 2 tbsp orange juice
– 2-3 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
– 5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed
– 1 egg
– 1 tsp sea salt
– 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
– 3 tbsp chickpea flour
– 2 tsp olive oil
For the Sauce:
– 1.5 c fresh cranberries
– 2/3 c orange juice
– 1/2 pear, diced small
– 3-4 tbsp maple syrup (or honey)
– 1/4 tsp cinnamon
– 1/2 c barbecue sauce (I use Primal Kitchen)
– 1 tsp siracha sauce
– sea salt to taste
– 1/4 c orange juice (as needed to reach desired consistency)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.
2. Using a microplane or grater, zest the peel of one orange into the mixing bowl.
3. To the mixing bowl, add the orange juice, chopped parsley, thyme, and the egg. Stir to combine.
4. Add the sea salt, white pepper, and chickpea flour. Stir until there are no clumps in the flour.
5. Add the ground beef to the mixture. Mix well with your hands until everything is combined.
6. Split the ground beef mixture into four large balls, then divide each ball in half so that there are eight. From there, split each of the eight balls into three well-formed meatballs.
7. On a rimmed baking sheet, place a piece of parchment paper. Spread the olive oil over the paper. Place the meatballs on the oiled paper, spacing them so that they do not touch one another.
8. Bake the meatballs at 450 F for 18-20 minutes. When done, they should look brown on top and have a nice caramelized crisp on bottom.
9. While the meatballs are baking, make the sauce. Add the cranberries, orange juice, diced pear, and cinnamon to a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low until everything begins to break down. The longer you simmer, the smoother the cranberry sauce will become.
10. Once the cranberry sauce is to your desired consistency, add the barbecue sauce, siracha sauce, and a pinch of salt. Use the remaining quarter cup of orange juice to reach your desired texture. I like the sauce to be thin, but sticky enough to coat the meatballs well.
11. When the meatballs are done, add them to the cranberry sauce and gently stir to coat each meatball in sauce. They can be served with a thin coating of sauce or with a more generous portion of sauce atop each meatball. Enjoy!
Here on SpringForestFarm.com, Jennifer Taylor Schmidt writes beef recipes for the busy, natural homemaker. It is possible to seek optimal health with limited time and money. Join Jennifer in future posts as she explores the possibilities found in a 1/4 and a 1/2 beeve. She also offers recipes and nourishment for body, mind, and soul on RealFoodRealHealing.com.
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