Turkey Meatball Appetizer with Cranberry Glaze

By Jo-Anna Rooney 
on December 6th, 2015
In: Recipes

Hi it’s Jo-Anna from A Pretty Life back again to share a simple and festive holiday appetizer idea with you!  With the holiday season upon us, it’s time to start thinking of recipes for all of the gatherings that are about to happen!  I really enjoy getting together with friends and family leading up to Christmas Day.  In fact, I think I might even enjoy the holiday season as much, if not more than the big day, only because there feels like less pressure.  Everyone isn’t burnt out yet from all the shopping and running around, and there is a palpable excitement in the air as Christmas Day gets closer.  So as much as we can, we try to gather together for good food and great wine during the month of December.

These Turkey Appetizer Meatballs with Cranberry Glaze taste like a turkey dinner wrapped up in a little ball of deliciousness! The meatballs are savory with flavors of sage and thyme, and the cranberry glaze is sweet and sour, making the pairing perfect. #recipe

I especially like to have appetizer and wine nights.  These types of get togethers are relatively pressure free because you’re not putting together an entire meal, just serving up bite sized dishes.  To make things even more simple, you could host a pot-luck appetizer night!

These Turkey Appetizer Meatballs with Cranberry Glaze taste like a turkey dinner wrapped up in a little ball of deliciousness! The meatballs are savory with flavors of sage and thyme, and the cranberry glaze is sweet and sour, making the pairing perfect. #recipe

One of the recipes that I will be serving up this year for our holiday gatherings are these Turkey Appetizer Meatballs with Cranberry Glaze.  These taste like a turkey dinner wrapped up in a little ball of deliciousness!  The meatballs are savoury with flavours of sage and thyme, and the cranberry glaze is sweet and sour, making the pairing perfect.

These Turkey Appetizer Meatballs with Cranberry Glaze taste like a turkey dinner wrapped up in a little ball of deliciousness! The meatballs are savory with flavors of sage and thyme, and the cranberry glaze is sweet and sour, making the pairing perfect. #recipe

These appetizer meatballs are ready in three steps:  making the cranberry glaze from scratch (it’s easy don’t worry!), baking the turkey meatballs, then mixing and baking the sauce and meatballs all together until they’re sticky and delicious!

These Turkey Appetizer Meatballs with Cranberry Glaze taste like a turkey dinner wrapped up in a little ball of deliciousness! The meatballs are savory with flavors of sage and thyme, and the cranberry glaze is sweet and sour, making the pairing perfect. #recipe

I really love to serve bite sized meatballs at get togethers because they’re easy to make and serve, plus everyone loves them so much.  There are never any leftovers!  You can serve these turkey appetizer meatballs right from the oven all bubbling hot.  Just sprinkle them with chopped green onions, and toothpicks.

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Turkey Meatball Appetizer with Cranberry Glaze
 
 
 
 
Serves: Makes about 50 small meatballs.
 
Ingredients
Turkey Meatballs:
  • 2 lbs ground turkey
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • â…“ cup bread crumbs
  • 1 tsp ground sage
  • ½ tsp thyme
  • ½ tsp dried parsley
  • salt & pepper to taste (I use them generously)
Cranberry Glaze (makes approximately 3 cups of glaze)
  • 4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 1¾ cups sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • 1 tbsp raspberry jam
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 4 - 5 chopped green onions
 
Instructions
Turkey Meatballs:
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
  3. Mix all of the ingredients for the turkey meatballs.
  4. Shape the meat mixture into 1 inch meatballs, and put them on the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
  5. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes.
  6. While the meatballs are baking, make the cranberry glaze.
Cranberry Glaze:
  1. Add the fresh cranberries, sugar, water and orange juice to a saucepan over low heat.
  2. Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries start to soften and the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.
  3. Turn up the heat to low-medium and continue to cook until the cranberries burst and the berries are broken down. You can use a potato masher to help break down the berries. This takes about 10 minutes or so.
  4. Once the mixture has cooked, strain out the syrup.
  5. Stir the raspberry jam and orange juice into the strained syrup.
Putting it all together:
  1. Put the cooked meatballs into an oven safe baking dish, and cover them with the cranberry glaze, making sure to coat them thoroughly.
  2. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes.
  3. Sprinkle the meatballs with the chopped green onions, and serve them with toothpicks.
 
Notes
These turkey meatballs make a great appetizer, but you can also serve them as a meal with mashed potatoes & gravy, and a green vegetable. So good.
 
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Turkey Meatballs with Cranberry Glaze

These meatballs pair beautifully with the Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. They also make a great meal!  Yes, if you want you can serve them up as a main dish, along with potatoes & gravy, and a green vegetable. So good!

Turkey Meatballs with Cranberry Glaze

I hope you try this Turkey Meatball Appetizer with Cranberry Glaze recipe and enjoy it as much as we do!  Have a wonderful holiday season!
Jo-Anna

Credits:  Recipe & Photography: Jo-Anna Rooney of A Pretty Life in the Suburbs

For food and wine pairing tips, visit the Entertaining section of our website.