Description
This Grape Jelly Meatball recipe features juicy, tender homemade meatballs smothered in a simple yet flavorful sauce combining grape jelly, barbecue sauce, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, and buffalo wings sauce. Perfect as an appetizer or a main dish served over mashed potatoes and veggies, these meatballs are sticky, sweet, tangy, and have a subtle kick that makes them irresistibly delicious.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 2 pounds lean ground beef (see notes for turkey substitute)
- 2 eggs
- 24 Ritz or Saltine crackers, crushed (or 1 cup panko breadcrumbs)
- 1/3 cup dried minced onion
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Sauce
- 1 cup grape jelly
- 3/4 cup barbecue sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's recommended)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons Franks Buffalo Hot Wings Sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Prepare the Meatball Mixture: In a large bowl, combine the lean ground beef, eggs, crushed crackers or panko breadcrumbs, dried minced onion, milk, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger powder, chili powder, and pepper. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Form Meatballs: Shape the meat mixture into approximately 40 evenly sized meatballs, ensuring they are firm to hold together during cooking.
- Cook Meatballs: Place the meatballs in a slow cooker or crockpot. Cook on low heat for 2 hours, or until the meatballs are cooked through and tender.
- Prepare Sauce: In a separate bowl, mix grape jelly, barbecue sauce, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, Franks Buffalo Hot Wings Sauce, cornstarch, salt, ginger powder, and garlic powder until smooth and well blended.
- Combine Sauce and Meatballs: Pour the prepared sauce over the cooked meatballs in the slow cooker, stirring gently to coat the meatballs evenly with the sauce. Continue to cook on low for an additional 15-20 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken and flavors to meld.
- Serve: Serve the grape jelly meatballs warm as an appetizer or over a bed of mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables for a hearty dinner.
Notes
- For a lighter option, substitute ground turkey for beef in the meatballs.
- Meatballs can be made ahead and frozen for convenient meal prep.
- The sauce can be easily made on the stovetop instead of a slow cooker if preferred.
- Adjust the hot sauce quantity to control the level of spiciness in the sauce.
- Serve these meatballs with rice, mashed potatoes, or crusty bread to soak up the delicious sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 meatballs
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
