Description
This Slow Cooker Cranberry Jalapeno Meatballs recipe combines the spicy kick of jalapenos with the sweet and tangy flavors of cranberry sauce, making it a perfect festive appetizer or satisfying main course. With simple ingredients and easy preparation, you can toss everything into the slow cooker and let it cook to tender, flavorful perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp Coconut Aminos
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
Sauce
- 1 pack Amy Lu Jalapeno Cranberry Meatballs
- 2 13 oz jars BBQ sauce (The New Primal or Primal Kitchen brands recommended)
- 12 oz bag fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup (adjust to taste)
Instructions
- Prepare the Meatball Mixture: In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, almond flour, coconut flour, sea salt, Coconut Aminos, dijon mustard, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Form Meatballs: Shape the meat mixture into evenly sized meatballs, about 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter, to ensure uniform cooking.
- Place Meatballs in Slow Cooker: Arrange the formed meatballs evenly inside the slow cooker insert.
- Make the Sauce: In a separate bowl, mix together the BBQ sauce, fresh or frozen cranberries, water, and honey or maple syrup. Stir until well combined.
- Combine Sauce and Meatballs: Pour the cranberry jalapeno BBQ sauce mixture over the meatballs in the slow cooker, ensuring they are well coated.
- Slow Cook: Cover the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 8 hours, allowing the flavors to meld and the meatballs to become tender and flavorful.
- Serve and Enjoy: Carefully transfer the meatballs to a serving dish or keep warm in the slow cooker until ready to serve. Perfect as a festive appetizer or main dish.
Notes
- Adjust the sweetness of the sauce by adding more or less honey or maple syrup according to your taste preference.
- Using fresh or frozen cranberries both work well and will give a slightly different texture to the sauce but retain the tart flavor.
- Feel free to substitute ground beef with ground turkey or chicken for a leaner variation.
- If you don’t have almond or coconut flour, you can substitute with gluten-free breadcrumbs to keep it gluten-free.
- For a spicier kick, you can add extra jalapenos or a dash of cayenne pepper to the meatball mixture or sauce.
- These meatballs can also be cooked on high for about 4-5 hours if you need a shorter cook time, but low and slow yields the best texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 meatballs
- Calories: 246 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 42 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 49 mg
