Jalapeño Cranberry Meatballs
These Jalapeño Cranberry Meatballs are the perfect combo with my Jalapeño Cranberry Sauce. The pork meatballs are super easy to make, and braising meatballs in cranberry sauce creates a meal that’s a perfect combo of sweet and savory. Serve over mashed potatoes, and you’ve got an amazing meal with Thanksgiving leftovers!
Read on to learn all the detailed tips and tricks for this recipe. Or just grab your cranberry sauce, hit that Jump to Recipe button, and let’s make pork meatballs with jalapeño cranberry sauce!
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Ingredients
There’s nothing difficult about making these pork sausage meatballs once you know how to make meatballs. They use the classic ratio of ground meat, egg, and panko breadcrumbs, with extra flavor from fennel seed, garlic, and orange zest.
The sauteed pork meatballs are then braised in a combo of cranberry sauce, broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Don’t skip the Worcestershire – it brings the umami to this dish like it does to my peach BBQ sauce!
You don’t have to use my Jalapeño Cranberry Sauce for this meatball recipe. You can use my cranberry sauce from dried cranberries or any cranberry sauce and just add a bit of chopped jalapeño.
Love cranberries? Check out my cranberry pecan chicken salad, cranberry feta kale salad, or cocktails like my cranberry Negroni or cranberry gimlet.
Please see the recipe card below for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations and substitutions
- Use ground chicken in place of pork for cranberry chicken meatballs.
Recipe tips and tricks
These cranberry meatballs are braised like my BBQ chicken meatballs or spaghetti and meatballs. A quick sear in hot oil and then a low simmer gives you flavorful, tender meatballs.
Add the ingredients for the pork sausage meatballs into a bowl and combine gently. If you have the time, resting the mixture for 30 minutes adds texture.
Use two spoons or a #30 cookie scoop to scoop about two tablespoons of meatball mixture and roll them into balls with your hands. This recipe will make about 16 meatballs. Or you can make cocktail meatballs with a #70, which makes not quitte one tablespoon meatballs.
Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan and brown the pork meatballs on all sides. Remove the meatballs to a plate.
Add the liquids and use a silicone spatula to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and the meatballs back to the pan. Cook, covered, until the meatballs are fully cooked, about 15 minutes.
What to serve with jalapeño cranberry meatballs
My family loves these meatballs in jalapeño cranberry sauce over mashed potatoes. We’ve also eaten them over mashed sweet potatoes, over rice, and of course with my favorite cavatappi mac and cheese.
Love meatballs as much as I do? Check out tons of meatball recipes and what to serve with meatballs for dinner.
Recipe FAQs
Store leftovers for a few days in the refrigerator. Heat gently in a small pot over low heat. Or use leftovers in a meatball wrap.
Yes, freeze the meatballs in the jalapeño cranberry sauce in an air tight container for up to three months.
If your Thanksgiving leftovers include a lot of cranberry sauce even after making these meatballs, you can use leftover cranberry sauce to glaze a turkey meatloaf. Or combine it with cream cheese for an amazing bagel spread.
Related meatball recipes
Check out other meatball recipes from the Ugly Duckling Bakery archives, like:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-heart 💜💜💜💜💜 rating in the recipe card below. Let me know how much you loved it, or any problems you had, in the comments section further down.
Recipe
Jalapeño Cranberry Meatballs
Ingredients
Pork sausage meatballs
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage I prefer mild.
- 1 egg
- ½ cup panko
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup parsley chopped fine
- ½ teaspoon fennel seed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- zest of a small orange juice reserved for the braise
Jalapeño cranberry sauce braise
- 1 tablespoon neutral vegetable oil
- ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons white wine or vermouth
- juice from the small orange
- 1 cup jalapeño cranberry sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the pork sausage meatball ingredients to a large bowl, and use your hands to combine the mixture gently. There is no need to knead meatballs.1 pound bulk Italian sausage, 1 egg, ½ cup panko, 2 cloves garlic, ¼ cup parsley, ½ teaspoon fennel seed, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, zest of a small orange
- Use a #30 cookie scoop or two spoons to scoop about two tablespoons of the meatball mixture. Roll the mixture into balls and place them on a piece of waxed paper (for easy cleanup).
- Heat the oil in a large lidded frying pan over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the meatballs in a single layer and cook without stirring, turning once or twice to brown multiple sides.1 tablespoon neutral vegetable oil
- Remove meatballs to a clean plate, then add the broth, Worcestershire, vermouth, and orange juice. Bring the liquids to a simmer while scraping up any browned bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.½ cup chicken or vegetable broth, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons white wine or vermouth, juice from the small orange
- Add the jalapeño cranberry sauce and brown sugar and stir to mix. Then add the meatballs back to the pan and stir to cover them with the sauce. Put the lid on the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook at a bare simmer (with occasional bubbles) until the meatballs have reached an internal temperature of at least 160℉. If the sauce is getting too thick while the meatballs are cooking, you can thin it out a bit with water or more broth.1 cup jalapeño cranberry sauce, 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot!salt and pepper
Notes
Nutrition
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