My Curated Tastes is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

This is an old throwback recipe and one of the first recipes I ever made when entertaining. My holiday meatballs were different back then. I used beef and grape jelly instead of ground turkey and the cranberry sauce I used today.

This year, I challenged myself with finding creative ways of using left over cranberry sauce and this is one of the ways I incorporated it. The Jellied Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce I made for Thanksgiving yielded an extra 1/2 mold (exactly 1/2 cup) and I used that with the Chili sauce to glaze my meatballs. I love the taste. Slightly sweet and slightly spicy, the tartness of the cranberry came out and really added a nice twist to this oldie but goodie.

This recipe works just fine with beef and would work with your favorite meatball recipe too. Didn’t get a chance to make my jellied cranberry sauce? Yes, the canned version will work in a pinch. The key is to make the meatballs cocktail size so they easily fit on a toothpick and are really just one bite. I serve them in a pretty bowl with toothpicks and napkins near by.

You’ll want to melt down the cranberry jelly and the chili sauce in a sauce pan on the stove to create that glaze. Stir until the jelly dissolves and the mixture becomes a liquid glaze.

To make your meatballs, mix all the ingredients in a bowl until they just come together. Then roll into small meatballs and brown up in a cast iron skillet so they get nice and brown on the outside and stay soft and moist on the inside.

Once the meatballs are browned on the outside, add them to the pot with the glaze and stir them gently until they are covered with the glaze. Let them simmer until completely cooked through. Occasionally, spoon the glaze over the meatballs so they are all well coated.

FYI: This glaze can do double duty on meatloaf so if you like it, consider it for that purpose too.

Once the meatballs are cooking through, I’ll plate them either with each one speared with a fancy toothpick, or pile them in a bowl or on a platter with toothpicks nearby so guests can help themselves. A little chopped parsley on top, is the perfect garnish.

Don’t forget to check out my other cranberry sauce recipes including Cranberry-Cherry Sauce and my Cranberry-Orange Sauce. Looking for other delicious, appetizer recipes? Try two of my new favorites: Goat Cheese, Pistachios and Hot Raspberry Preserves and my Steak Crostini. Both are easy to pull together and they both get rave reviews. Enjoy!