Meatballs are satisfying, easy to make and delicious. Next time you make meatballs, make these amazing and sweet cranberry meatballs. They are juicy, packed with flavours, sweet and savoury at the same time. Prepare them for dinner, Sunday lunch or just as a snack.
Most of the times, meatballs are one of everyone’s favourite meal. Am I right? They are delicious. Wink. However, these cranberry meatballs will totally provocate an explosion in your mouth. Everyone will love them. Maybe, you should skip adding chili when serving them to your children.
Furthermore, I’ve never tried to make a cranberry sauce. I always thought they were to sour for a sweet sauce. Boy, was I wrong. Additionally, I thought a cranberry sauce fits only to turkey. Maybe I got that from watching too many American movies. Wink.
Cranberries and beef
Thanks to the amazing Paleoleap page, I found out that cranberry sauce and meatballs can be great friends, too. Cranberries alone are already sweet because they are dry. Plus, honey gives the extra thickness to the sauce. Moreover, there is some chili as well. I love hot sweetness!
And, I always try to incorporate fruits into my dishes. I find that super tasty. For instance, you can check this lovely beetroot carpaccio and mango dressing, the colourful sweet potato beef, the fun mango sausage skewers or the vibrant beetroot raspberry soup.
Meat goes perfectly either with vegetables or fruits. Imagine ginger-beef meatballs rolling in chili-cranberry sauce. Additionally, besides cinnamon, I added grated zucchini to the meat too. As a result, the meatballs will be moist as ever before. Mmmm, savoury tender meatballs in a sticky and sweet sauce sounds just so amazing. Let’s do these cranberry meatballs.
Ingredients for ca 20 meatballs:
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 egg
- 400-450 g minced meat (beef)
- 1 piece of ginger (how big depends on how much you like it)
- 1 onion
- 1/2 zucchini (grated, drained)
- cinnamon
- coconut oil or olive oil
- sea salt and pepper
Ingredients for the cranberry sauce:
- 150 g cranberries (I used the dried ones)
- 30 g honey
- 120 ml orange juice (fresh)
- 30 ml chili sauce (or fresh chili)
- cinnamon (powder)
- sea salt and pepper
I used one pan for both the sauce and the meatballs. But first things first. For the cranberry sauce take a pan, put in the orange juice and set it on medium heat. Then add the honey and stir until it dissolves. After the honey has dissolved, add the cranberries and cook for 10 minutes. Give an occasional stir.
Moreover, add the chili, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Chili will give the nice hot kick and cinnamon will add the beautiful oriental flavour. It is your choice how much of each you want to use.
Bring to boil and then set the heat on low. If you see that there’s a chance of burning, just add some orange juice. Let it simmer for 5 minutes, season it, remove from the heat and put it in a bowl. With a paper towel wipe the pan in order to use it for the meatballs.
How to make moist and tasty meatballs
Furthermore, for the meatballs take a bigger bowl and put in the minced meat, finely chopped garlic and ginger, the egg, a small chopped onion, cinnamon powder (I used quite a lot of it, ca 25 g), grated zucchini, salt and pepper.
Mix until well combined. Roll out bite-sized meatballs and place them on a baking paper. I always put one drop of olive oil on my hands, so that the meat doesn’t stick to them
In the pan melt some coconut oil or heat some olive oil on medium-high heat. Place in the meatballs and brown them on all sides. Then set the heat on medium and pour the cranberry sauce over the meatballs. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. By this time the meatballs should be slightly pink on the inside.
The sweet, spicy cranberry meatballs are done and the kitchen is packed with aromas. I find them perfect to serve in winter, especially around Christmas time.
Enjoy!
PS
If you like the recipe, if you make the recipe or if you have any new ideas how to improve or change it, let me know in the comments section below or alternatively share your photos and reactions with me on Instagram (@Passionspoon), Facebook or Twitter (@PassionSpoon1). Simply use the hashtag #passionspoonrecipes in your posts. I would love to see them! (wink)
