Jalapeño Cranberry Meatballs
Love this recipe?Mention @UglyDucklingBakery or tag #UglyDucklingBakery!
These Jalapeño Cranberry Meatballs are the perfect use for my Jalapeño Cranberry Sauce or any cranberry sauce leftovers. 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 your cranberry jalapeño meatballs over mashed potatoes, and you've got an amazing meal, whether you're using Thanksgiving leftovers or making them from the start!
Servings: 4
Calories: 621kcal
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
This recipe will make about 16 meatballs using a #30 (about 2 tablespoon) cookie scoop.
Add an extra 15 minutes or so to the cook time if making the Jalapeño Cranberry Sauce just for this meatball recipe.
If you have the time, resting the pork meatball mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes will improve the meatball texture. You can use this time to make the cranberry sauce!
Serve these meatballs in cranberry sauce over mashed potatoes, polenta, or rice - something to soak up the sauce!
Nutrition
Calories: 621kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 1426mg | Potassium: 452mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 476IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 3mg