What to Do with Costco Cranberry Jalapeño Meatballs {Easy Serving Ideas}
Pick up a package of Amylu Cranberry Jalapeño Meatballs from Costco, or prep a batch of my homemade copycat meatballs, and turn them into one of these deliciously easy family dinners.
Costco cranberry jalapeño chicken meatballs are one of my favorite seasonal finds, but once you’ve tossed them into your cart, what should you actually do with them?
I’ve used these sweet and spicy chicken meatballs for everything from easy pasta dinners and meatball sliders to holiday appetizers. Here are my favorite ways to serve them, plus the best side dishes to pair with them.
If your Costco doesn’t have them in stock, you can make my copycat cranberry jalapeño meatballs from scratch and use them in all the same ways.
Where to Find Them
Usually during the holiday season, Costco will carry Amylu Cranberry Jalapeño Meatballs in the refrigerated case. Though I’m not a member, I’ve heard they are also available at BJ’s Warehouse as well.
You can use them immediately or freeze them up to 6 months.
If you can’t find them in store, good news! I have a copycat cranberry jalapeño meatballs recipe you can make from scratch.
How to Cook Costco Cranberry Jalapeño Meatballs
As with all of the Amylu chicken meatballs, the cranberry jalapeño meatballs come fully cooked and ready to use.
That said, I generally prefer to brown them in just a touch of olive oil in a skillet set over medium-high heat. I think the caramelized brown color makes them significantly more appetizing.
However, if you plan to warm them through in a heavy sauce like a tomato-based BBQ sauce, you could easily skip that step.
7 Easy Dinner Ideas Using the Meatballs
I absolutely love the ease of using prepared meatballs to make quick family dinners on busy weeknights.
The unique cranberry jalapeño flavor provides so many delicious options to choose from:
- Brown and Serve with Pasta
- Make an Entree Salad with Meatballs for the Protein
- Build Mini Slider Sandwiches
- Make a Larger Meatball Sub Sandwich
- Slice in Half and Top a Flatbread or Homemade Pizza
- Brown in a Skillet and Serve with Easy Side Dishes
- Use as an Easy Appetizer
Pasta Sauces that Pair Well
I love using prepared chicken meatballs from the store to toss in as an easy protein with a pasta dinner.
Change the flavor of the meatball and the pasta dish feels all new.
I think the cranberry jalapeño meatballs pair really well with a creamy pasta sauce. Here are a few of my favorites:
Goat Cheese Pasta
The sweet cranberry and kick of heat from the jalapeño both pair really well with the creamy tang of goat cheese and the baby spinach in this dish.
My creamy goat cheese pasta is an excellent vegetarian dinner on its own but the meatballs give it the perfect flavorful protein boost.
Alfredo Pasta with Meatballs
If you’re not a fan of the tang from goat cheese, this rich and creamy homemade alfredo sauce is even more delicious with that cranberry jalapeño kick.
It’s a fun way to dress this pasta dish up for a festive holiday dinner, too.
Creamy Boursin Tortellini
Brown up the cranberry jalapeño meatballs in a skillet while this easy baked boursin pasta finishes in the oven. You can spoon the meatballs into the creamy sauce for an extra boost of protein.
Make a Salad with Meatballs on Top
You could turn the cranberry jalapeño meatballs into an entree salad and add them to my crispy wild rice salad with roasted carrots.
The homemade Dijon mustard vinaigrette pairs perfectly with the sweet heat from the chicken.
Or pair browned meatballs with this crisp and fresh apple pear salad. It features dried cranberries in the mix. You could keep them in for a boost of sweetness or skip them and let the meatballs bring the cranberry flavor.
Cranberry Jalapeño Meatball Sliders
Whether you serve them as a simple dinner or a party sandwich, meatball sliders are so fun to eat.
You’ll still want to brown the meatballs first but the cranberry jalapeño flavor would taste delicious with BBQ sauce and used instead of shredded chicken for my BBQ chicken sliders.
Easy Meatball Pizza Ideas
This unique flavor of meatball has a special opportunity for being the main protein on a very delicious seasonal homemade pizza.
I would definitely start with my whole wheat pizza dough and considering prepping my fall harvest apple pizza.
But if you prefer more mainstream pizza flavors, my classic bread maker pizza dough used as the base for this easy BBQ Chicken pizza with red onions would be a perfect option. Simply swap in the meatballs for the chunks of tender chicken.
What to Serve with Cranberry Jalapeño Meatballs
If you prefer for the browned meatballs to be the star of the dinner plate and would rather just serve them as a meaty main dish with sides, there are several easy options for a delicious family dinner.
- Sweet Potatoes
- Butternut or Acorn Squash
- Roasted Gnocchi
- Buttery Rice Dishes
- A Simple Veggie Side
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Sweet Potatoes
Sweet and spicy is one of my favorite flavor combos.
The heat from the cranberry jalapeño meatballs would pair really well with a sweet potato side dish like my sweet potato casserole, sweet potato mash with pineapple, or even just a slowcooker sweet potato topped with butter, brown sugar, and chopped pecans.
Roasted Gnocchi
For a unique texture and a bit of sweetness, you could try serving them with a side of my roasted gnocchi with butternut squash and sage.
Acorn Squash
My slowcooker acorn squash is sweetened with fresh apples, dried cranberries, brown sugar and butter. The spicy meatballs would bring the perfect amount of heat to this side dish.
Buttery Rice
Meatballs are fantastic on top of a bed of rice, you could make my Instant Pot herb butter rice or this delicious wild rice pilaf with veggies.
Mashed Potatoes
And for a special family dinner, you could use the cranberry jalapeño meatballs as a time saver and invest your energy into making my Crock Pot mashed potatoes.
They are just a little more work on the front end, but then the slowcooker does all the rest for you! You can then serve them with dollops of homemade cranberry sauce with Grand Marnier on the side.
Best Veggie Side Dishes
If you prefer a lighter dinner with just a chicken protein and an easy veggie on the side, these are my favorite weeknight veggies:
Cranberry Jalapeño Meatball Appetizer Idea
I’ve used this sweet and sour meatballs recipe as a party appetizer in my Crockpot but I’ve also served it as dinner of jasmine rice.
Swapping cranberry jalapeño meatballs for the regular Italian style meatballs just adds even more festive flavor to the dish.
About Tiffany
Tiffany is a home-cooking enthusiast, three-time cookbook author, and creator of the sites Peanut Blossom, Peanut Blossom Book Club, and Don’t Just Fly. She believes that family dinner can be manageable, fun, and — most importantly — tasty. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband and two daughters and can often be found baking a loaf of bread with her beloved bread machine, reading a good book, or planning her family’s next adventure.