Quickly Make Tasty Cranberry Meatballs Christmas Recipe
Festive Christmas recipe Quickly create tasty cranberry meatballs Learn the quick meatball cooking tech for a simple holiday appetizer
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Main Course, Appetizer
- Cuisine: British, American
Ingredients
Scale
- 500g Minced Beef (or a mix of beef and pork)
- 1 Onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp Mixed Herbs
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
- 1 Egg, beaten
- 50g Breadcrumbs
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 400g Cranberry Sauce (good quality, with whole berries)
- 100ml Beef Stock
- 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Instructions
- Prepare the Meatball Mixture. In a large bowl, combine the minced beef, chopped onion, mixed herbs, cinnamon, cloves, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs. Season generously with salt and pepper. Get your hands in there and mix everything together thoroughly until well combined.
- Roll the Meatballs. Using your hands, roll the mixture into small meatballs, about 2-3cm in diameter. I find it helps to keep my hands slightly damp to prevent the mixture from sticking. Aim for roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
- Brown the Meatballs. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Brown them on all sides until they are nicely coloured. This should take about 5-7 minutes per batch. Browning the meatballs adds a lovely depth of flavour.
- Make the Cranberry Sauce. Once the meatballs are browned, remove them from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, add the cranberry sauce, beef stock, and balsamic vinegar. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Simmer the Meatballs in Sauce. Gently add the browned meatballs back into the pan with the cranberry sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and let the meatballs simmer in the sauce for 20-25 minutes, or until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly. The longer they simmer, the more flavour they’ll absorb!
- Serve and Enjoy! Once the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, they are ready to serve. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired. Serve hot with your favourite sides.