the best recipe for meatballs in a grape jelly-based sauce

[prima]

Anyone have a recipe they'd like to share?
Thanks for any recipes you have.
Looking forward to trying this out.

[Jerseygirl111]

Cocktail meatballs

1 bag frozen cocktail size meatballs
1 bottle Heinz chili sauce
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 can Sauerkraut, drained

Dump all into crockpot. Cook on high 1 hr.

Easiest recipe ever. Oops, sorry, no grape jelly in there.

[aimeekm]

Old family recipe ....

Jar of Grape Jelly
Bottle of yellow mustard
Frozen meatballs or Lil Smokies

I made these for a work potluck when I didn;t have time to actually cook something. Everyone was shocked that 1) those were the ingredients 2) It tasted good 3) that I, known as a good cook, would bring something so ... ummm... different

[greygarious]

The version I first experienced was equal measures of ketchup and jellied cranberry sauce.
I found that too sweet and too vinegary. So when I make it I use equal parts tomato sauce (the plain kind that comes in 8oz cans), ketchup, and jellied cranberry sauce, and add thinly sliced onion to it. Mix, heat until blended. Make meatballs from your favorite meatloaf mixture. Nestle them into the gently bubbling sauce, cover, turn them over in 15-20 minutes and cook uncovered another 15-20, or until sauce achieves desired concentration and intensity of flavor. Not browning the meatballs in advance keeps them tender and flavors the sauce better. I like to make more sauce than I will need. I reserve the extra and use it as gravy for other meals that have a plain piece of meat, like sauteed beef patties or baked skinless chicken.

[jjjrfoodie]

I never get fussy with things.

Sauce is IIRC one part Grape jelly and 1 part Heinz Chili sauce (bottled) when I made my last batch
Some do one bottle chili sauce to one small jar of jelly. Others go 32oz jelly to 24 oz chili sauce.
Some days I add a pinch of cayenne to spice it up a bit,

For meatballs, most use teh frozen small meatballs found in the frozen food aisles.

When I make my own meatballs, I just use the standard meatball recipe.
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground prok
1 egg
3 to 4 oz of panade made with white bread and milk
grated yellow onion
parsley
granulated garlic
bread crumbs if needed
grated parm cheese
oregano
salt pepper
fresh basil if in season in my garden

I usually roll then bake meatballs in oven.

Through sauce in a crockpot till warm, then toss in meatballs and heat until meatballs are cooked above 165 F.

Keep ion warm til guests arrive or they will likely hold on warm until the zombie apocalypse given they are infinately stable. LOL

Good luck.

[prima]

Thanks, jjjrfoodie.
Appreciate you including your meatball recipe.

[pinehurst]

Prima, see this thread
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/840129

[prima]

Thanks, pinehurst :-)