Superbowl Meatballs

Happy New Year!

Hope your holidays were filled with lots of friends, family and delicious food.

As the Superbowl is just around the corner, this is the time to start considering foods for the big day. I like meatballs for casual get togethers. They are the ultimate party food!

The inspiration for this recipe came from my mother-in-law who gave me her recipe. I adjusted this recipe to make it extra saucy and to brighten the flavour with the addition of citrus. While it may seem a little different from other sweet and sour meatball recipes with the cranberry sauce & orange zest, but trust me, it tastes wonderful!

The best part about these meatballs is they can be made ahead and frozen. They cook from frozen very easily and the sauce is a snap to pull together.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1 lb lean ground beef
¾ cup of bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tbsp finely diced onion
2 tbsp milk
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp salt
pinch of black pepper
vegetable oil for brushing

1 c Heinz Chili sauce
1/4 c orange juice
1 tbsp lime juice
1 c cranberry jelly
zest of 1 orange

Mix together the beef, breadcrumbs, egg, onion, milk, garlic, salt & pepper. Form into approximately 40 bite-sized meatballs and place on a cookie sheet. Freeze cookie sheet for at least twenty minutes. (If you are making the meatballs ahead, you can remove the meatballs from the cookie sheet and place in a resealable freezer bag and store in the freezer until you are ready to use.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush meatballs with vegetable oil and bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes until fully cooked. In a large saucepan, or slow cooker, combine chili sauce, orange juice, lime juice, jelly and zest. Add meatballs. Stir well. Simmer 10-12 minutes on stove top or cook on low in the slow cooker. The sauce will thicken. Baste occasionally.