Meatballs with Jelly Sauce

Meatballs with Jelly Sauce are a delicious party appetizer featuring ground beef meatballs, covered in a sweet and (slightly) spicy chipotle-raspberry barbecue sauce. These meatballs begin like most other meatball recipes but are seasoned with cumin and chili powder for a boost in flavor.

Meatballs with Jelly Sauce are the perfect game day recipe, but are a great addition to just about any kind of party!

MEATBALL JELLY SAUCE

The sauce is a simple combination of ketchup, raspberry jam, and adobo sauce. This little party meatball is sweet, tangy and savory — and if you don’t mind me saying so, they’re the perfect bite. My children are accustomed to a little spice, but if yours are sensitive to heat, I might suggest cutting the quantity of adobo sauce in half.

Photo by Rachel Driskell

HOW TO MAKE MEATBALLS WITH JELLY SAUCE

We broke up this recipe into stages: Making the meatballs the night before made bring this party appetizer a breeze. The next day, simply heat up the meatballs and whip up the sauce before you’re ready to serve!  You could also use frozen meatballs for this recipe, and heat them up according to package directions.

HOW TO SERVE MEATBALLS WITH JELLY SAUCE

Transfer the meatballs, with the sauce, to a crockpot, give them a stir and place the crockpot on the warm setting. Make sure to leave a small container of toothpicks off to the side so your guests can easily get in there for a bite.

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Meatballs with Jelly Sauce

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

55 mins

 

Meatballs with Jelly Sauce are a delicious game day recipe made with ground beef meatballs coated in a sweet and spicy chipotle-raspberry barbecue sauce.

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 24 Meatballs

Author: Kelly Anthony

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs see "Easy Baked Meatballs" for notes on fresh bread crumbs, if needed
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1 large egg slightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons ground chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 pounds 80/20 ground beef

For the Chipotle-Raspberry Sauce:

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2  cup raspberry preserves
• 1/4 cup adobo sauce from chipotles in adobo
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2  teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2  teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400° and have ready two rimmed baking sheets lined with nonstick aluminum foil
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine bread crumbs and whole milk. Stir until crumbs have absorbed the milk and set aside. Add egg to the moistened bread crumbs and stir to combine. Add in chili powder, salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder and onion powder. Stir once more to thoroughly combine.
3. Using your hands, gently mix in the ground beef. With damp hands, roll about 2 tablespoons worth of the meatball mixture into a ball and place on the baking sheets, placing each meatball at least 1" apart. Bake for 25-28 minutes, until properly cooked through. Allow to cool slightly before handling. Using a paper towel, wipe away any grease attached to the bottom of the meatball, if desired.
4. For the sauce, combine the ketchup, raspberry preserves, adobo sauce, salt, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper in a bowl, and stir to combine.
5. Transfer the cooked meatballs to a large bowl, and pour over the sauce. Gently, stir to coat the meatballs. Serve right away,or transfer to a crockpot on the warm setting for the duration of your party.

Recipe Notes

Makes about 24 meatballs