Made with only 5 ingredients, Easy Cranberry Angus Beef Meatballs are perfect for any party, holiday appetizer or an easy weeknight dinner. Simply bake them in the oven, toss them in a festive sauce, and you have one winning dish.

Oh, meatballs! They are always such a hit. Whether they’re the appetizer or main course, no one can get enough of their taste and that sweet, tangy, and saucy flavor.

With the holiday season just around the corner, Easy Cranberry Angus Beef Meatballs are the perfect addition to any festive meal. So, whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years, you can prepare them as a tasty, shareable appetizer, or a flavorful entrée. Whenever you serve them, these crowd-pleasing meatballs, are sure to amp up any meal.

But, you don’t need to wait for the holidays to enjoy this dish – you can make them tonight, or any night. Easy Cranberry Angus Beef Meatballs are also a super easy, weeknight recipe. With just a handful of ingredients, you can throw them together any day of the week.

So, whatever the season, when you make these meatballs, you can be sure that everyone will be always asking for seconds. My family always does. They just can’t get enough of these quick, easy, and finger-lickin’ good meatballs!

A simply delicious meatball sauce

When it comes to absolutely delicious, lick the bowl clean kind of sauces, the best ones hit multiple flavor profiles. And the combination of sweet and tart makes each bite of these Easy Cranberry Angus Beef Meatballs a real hit!

The ingredients perfectly combine to create a super tasty dish. Here is a breakdown of each of the flavors:

• Tart/Sour tang comes from the cranberry sauce and lemon juice. The cranberry sauce is of course the highlight of this sauce and the lemon juice adds a delicious zesty flavor. And it adds the perfect amount of the pucker-inducing tang.
• Sweet flavoring in this dish comes from brown sugar and ketchup. Both help to mellow the tart/sour of the cranberry, while creating a sauce that you’ll want to eat again and again.

Can You Use Another Type of Meatball?

Absolutely! You can use any style of frozen meatballs. You can try another type of meat, chicken or turkey. We’ve also made this recipe with veggie meatballs, which were delicious.

You can even substitute your own homemade meatballs, if you like. Just make sure to fully cook them before adding them to the sauce.

Whichever meatball you choose, simply follow the package directions to prepare the meatballs before adding them to the cranberry sauce.

Can you Make Easy Cranberry Angus Beef Meatballs as a freezer meal?

In one word – YES! If you love easy prep dinners or make ahead holiday appetizers, Easy Cranberry Angus Beef Meatballs makes a delicious freezer meal. In fact, it comes together really easily because you are already using frozen meatballs.

If you want to save some room in your freezer, add the frozen meatballs to a 1 gallon sized freezer bag and add attach the cooking instructions to the outside of the bag.

In a smaller bag, add all of the sauce ingredients – cranberry sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Then add the smaller bag to the larger freezer bag.

To avoid any freezer burn, remove as much air as possible before sealing the freezer bag. To do this, simply close the zipper about 80% and let out more air through the barely open section before closing it and putting it in the freezer.

You can freeze Easy Cranberry Angus Beef Meatballs for up to 3 months. And when you want to make it, simply follow the directions to cook your meatballs. And defrost the sauce in cold water before cooking on the stovetop.

To do this, simply immerse the frozen sauce bag in cold water. It will take under 30 minutes to fully defrost this way. After your sauce is thawed, cook immediately.

How to make Easy Cranberry Angus Beef Meatballs

A flavor bursting dish that is as easy as it is delicious. It’s made in only three simple steps and uses only five ingredients. You have to love a meal that is simple and truly finger-licking good!

Step 1: Cook Meatballs

Whether you are using angus beef meatballs, turkey meatballs, veggie meatballs, or another type of meatballs, following the package directions, and cook until the meatballs are fully cooked.

Step 2: Prepare the Sauce

The cranberry sauce is made with only 4 ingredients. But these ingredients pack a tasty, festive flavor. With just a few ingredients, you can throw together a dish that leaves everyone asking for more. Seriously, the sauce is so yummy, you’ll love that this recipe make extra sauce that you can use as a dipping sauce for later.

To make the sauce, simply combine cranberry sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, and lemon juice in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the sauce comes together and begins to bowl, reduce the heat to a simmer. And it’s just that simple. Don’t you just love when dinner comes together that easily.

Step 3: Add the Meatballs

Can you believe that this is that last step? Yep, some meals are just this easy.

When the meatballs are heated through, add the cooked meatballs to the sauce. And stir to evenly cover the meatballs with the sauce. Now, you can serve it and enjoy!

How to Serve Easy Cranberry Angus Beef Meatballs

These delicious little cranberry meatballs can be served in so many ways. Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthday parties, potlucks, New Year’s Eve parties, football parties, or for dinner, Easy Cranberry Angus Beef Meatballs are a wonderful addition to any meal.

If you plan on serving them as an appetizer. It’s really easy to add them to a serving platter and spear them with some pretty toothpicks. Then garnish them with some fresh parsley, if you want to add a little pop of color to the mix. Plus, if this a festive Christmas party, it’s a wonderful way to add tasty splash of red and green.

You can also serve them as another main course on the table. It compliments chicken, fish, roast, turkey and any other of your holiday favorites. But, you don’t need to wait for a party or any special occasion to make them.

You can also serve them for an easy weeknight dinner. They’re delicious with a side of rice, mashed potatoes, and roasted veggies. You can even add them to salad.

If you’re craving a delicious, festive flavored dish, Easy Cranberry Angus Beef Meatballs always hits the spot. I hope that your family enjoys it just as much as we always do!

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